Grinnin' Jedi
by Masamune13
Summary: When a certain silver haired boy is taken in for Jedi training, it is believed he will be a great force for good. But who is this boy, and what are his real intentions for the galaxy behind his smile?
1. Prologue: The Silver Haired Boy

**Grinnin' Jedi**

A/N: Allright, this is my first attempt at a fanfic and hopefully it will go well. My initial inspiration for this fic was in how few good Star Wars/Bleach crossovers there are compared to others. I honestly think there is some great potential there that has yet to be explored. "STAR WARS – CLONE WARS – The deflected Jedi – Naruto" by ares88 and "Naruto of the Force" by The True One-Winged Angel particularly inspired me to come up with this story. It will be about our favorite shinigami Gin Ichimaru as he is trained by the jedi and later participates in the Clone Wars. But on whose side?

A/N: Gin will not be a shinigami in this fic or possess any shinigami powers. Instead, he will be an exceptionally strong force user who basically excels in everything he does. I am still undecided as to whether or not I will include any other Bleach characters in the story, but if I do they will also be made into force users to help it run more smoothly.

A/N: The story will be set in the Star Wars Universe and follow the basic Clone Wars storyline. I will occasionally insert elements in from Bleach however, in order to help Gin's transfer into the story. Wookieepedia will be my main source so you can look there if you feel the need for more info. But before we get into the wars, we will first be following the background story of our second main character, one of my favorites, Aayla Secura!

Disclaimer: Bleach is owned by Kubo and Star Wars by Lucas. I got nothing!

A/N: This first chapter takes place about 5 years before Episode I. Gin is currently 6 and so is Aayla.

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**PROLOGUE: The Silver Haired Boy**

"Come young Aayla! Faster than you, Yoda should not be!" A small green jedi master barked at a young twilek straggling behind the group of younglings with him, gazing at the skies overhead. "Miss the ship you will if any slower you are!"

"Sorry Master Yoda!" The girl replied as she ran to catch up. "I won't lag behind anymore in the future, I promise!" Despite having lived on Coruscant for 4 years now, Aayla was still constantly amazed at the speed and movement of the traffic that soared across the planet day and night.

"Apologize, you need not. Concerned I simply am that you might miss our trip." Yoda told her warmly. He was referring of course, to the annual Younglings Expedition in which the current group of future Jedi were taken to a selected planet in order to learn more about the galaxy they would someday protect.

Eventually, the younglings arrived at the spaceport where the flight to their destination, Ord Mantell, was stationed. Waiting for them was the esteemed Jedi Battlemaster, Cin Drallig, who had agreed to accompany Yoda in overseeing the younglings in one of the rare instances he left the temple grounds.

"You're late my old friend," he teased his former teacher.

"Never late a Jedi is Master Drallig," Yoda retorted "Simply early everyone else is."

"Well I'll be sure to remember that saying from now on," the battlemaster chuckled, "I was only concerned about our pilot as he seems very anxious for us to be our way."

"Dawdle no longer we will then, to Ord Mantell we go."

XXXXXXXXXX

As the ship traveled through hyperspace, Yoda took the opportunity to educate his class on the planet they would be visiting. "About Ord Mantell, what do we know?"

"It's in the Bright Jewel Cluster." A young togruta answered.

"Good, what else know we?"

"It used to be an important military base for the Republic." A mirialan said quietly.

"Another good response. Anything more?"

"Master Windu said it's one big junkyard!" An eager zabrak yelled out.

Yoda chuckled "And not far off Master Windu is either. But not why we are going there that is. Going there we are to observe the capital city of Worlport. There will the governor give us a tour of the entire city."

As Yoda finished, Master Drallig walked in. "We should be dropping out of hyperspace at any moment now. If you want to get a good look at the planet I suggest you get over to the windows." The younglings quickly scrambled over each other all wanting to be the first to see their destination. No one was more eager than Aayla and her friend Xiann as the planet came into view.

"It doesn't look that special." Aayla pouted having expected something more ... stunning to say the least.

"Don't be so whiney, maybe it looks better once we get planetside." Her friend said hopefully. A few hours later however, Xiann could clearly say that she was dead wrong about it looking any better on the ground. The spaceport they had landed in seemed to be full of strange, shady aliens and people that you wouldn't want to meet in a dark alley alone. The only people that seemed relatively normal was a human in uniform surrounded by several guards that was approaching them quickly.

"Masters Yoda and Drallig, let me just say that on behalf of the peoples of Ord Mantell we are honored to have been chosen as the site of this year's Youngling Expedition." The human said as he bent over to shake the ancient Jedi Masters hand.

"And honored are we, to have received such a warm reception Governor Kiiran." Yoda politely responded "Know we do how busy your schedule is to have taken this time to guide us on our trip."

"It's no trouble really, I'm happy to help. Do you wish to begin the tour now?" Yoda nodded and indicated to Master Drallig to take control of the class. The human quickly turned to address the group.

"Now, the rules for this trip will be as follows: 1) Stay with the group and do exactly as Master Yoda and I tell you. Part of being a Jedi is knowing when to obey orders. 2) If for whatever reason you choose to disregard that first rule be sure to stay with a friend. Two heads are better than one and you're more likely to be kept safe that way. 3) Most importantly DO NOT go anywhere near the junkyard outside the city limits. If you do I cannot guarantee that you will return from this trip safely. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes Master Drallig!" the class responded.

"Very good, Governor you may proceed."

"Thank you Master Drallig. Now children over here is one of Ord Mantell's most famous locations ..."

XXXXXXXXXX

A few hours later, the tour was over and the class was preparing to leave. Master Drallig was doing a head count of the students to make sure nobody had been left behind, while Yoda had a last minute conversation with the governor about the planet's current level of stability. As he counted however, Master Drallig realized that not everyone was currently present. He sighed in frustration, this being the exact scenario he had wanted to avoid. "A problem there is Master Drallig?" the wizened Jedi Master asked as he made his way over to the group.

"I'm afraid there is Master Yoda. We're short one Youngling and guess which one it is."

Yoda frowned thinking of only one Youngling who could've possibly disregarded Master Drallig's rules so recklessly and managed to have snuck away from the eyes of two Jedi Masters. "Getting too old for this I am." He grumbled.

Far away from her class, Aayla wandered around the junkyard, curious as to what could've made it so bad that Master Drallig would forbid anyone going near it. She hadn't wanted to break the rules and the tour had been interesting, but she couldn't help sneaking away without seeing the forbidden junkyard at least once to satisfy her curiosity. She'd always been good at sneaking around, so it wasn't that hard to get away even if it was from two Jedi Masters. The junkyard didn't seem that horrible, just a bunch of old starship and droid parts, and so far she hadn't seen anything relatively dangerous or interesting for that matter. _"I should head back now though since Master Drallig probably burst a blood vessel after finding out I left" _the young twilek thought to herself smiling as she turned to leave.

"Well, well now. What do we have here?" An alien voice said from behind her. Aayla turned to see a rodian and two weequays approaching her with malicious looks on their faces. "Little girl should not be out here alone by herself." The rodian said with a creepy voice.

"That's – that's okay, I was just going back to my group anyway." Aayla stammered, scared of who these people were and what they wanted.

"Maybe we help. Take little girl to be with 'new' group." The three aliens began approaching her and Aayla quickly decided she didn't want to be here any longer and started running. "After her, don't let her get away!" The rodian, clearly the leader, yelled angrily to his two cronies. Aayla jumped over junk piles and ran with what little of the force she knew, but her pursurers weren't giving up and she could here them closing in behind her. She turned back to see how close they were, only to trip on a pile of junk which sent her tumbling quickly down the hill she'd been on. As she fell, Aayla heard the angry voices of her pursuers fade until she hit the ground and completely blacked out.

XXXXXXXXXX

Aayla slowly felt herself coming back into consciousness by a pointy object that was irritating her lekku. "Oww!" she yelled, "Stop doing that!"

"Doin' what?" a voice asked.

As her world materialized Aayla found herself to be looking at a young silver-haired boy that looked to be about her age. He was dressed in ragged old clothing and was carrying a stick which she assumed was the source of her discomfort. But the most unusual aspect of the boy was his face. His eyes appeared to be closed slits and a huge friendly grin was plastered on his mouth, making her wonder who exactly he was.

"Poking me with that!" Aayla said angrily, pointing to the stick.

"Well that's your own fault for lyin' on the ground like that." The grinning boy said in a joking tone. It was then that Aayla remembered where she was. She was on the junkyard of Ord Mantell and had been running away from those three aliens when she blacked out. Upon looking around Aayla realized she had no idea where she was. This realization caused tears to spring to her face as thoughts began rushing into her mind.

"_What if they left without me? Master Drallig said if I left to go to the junkyard I might not return. What if I'm stuck here forever?" _Crying into her arms, she wished that she could just go home and leave this horrible place forever.

"What'cha cryin' for?" the boy asked in a voice that sounded confused.

"I'm crying be-because I don't know where my group is and I-I don't know where I am." She managed to get out through her sobs.

"Where was your group at?" he asked, as Aayla noticed the grin seemed to have been replaced by a more serious face.

"They-they were at the spaceport near the city."

The grin on the boy's face quickly returned. "Don't worry I can take ya there!" The boy let out his hand as the girl took it and helped here up.

"Really, you know where it is?" Aayla asked, wiping away her tears.

"Yup, I know where everything is here." As Aayla followed the boy things started looking more familiar and soon she began recognizing the path she had taken. Her spirits soared for a moment as the spaceport came into view, only to be brought down again by a now dreaded voice.

"Well, well looks like we found you again little girl." The rodian said as he and his two lackeys came near them. They appeared to be tired and dirty which led Aayla to believe they must have still been looking for her after they got seperated. _"No!" _she thought, "_Not when we're so close!"_ The girl doubted she would get away so easily this time with her hunters obviously angry and frustrated at being denied their prey.

"Come quietly this time and maybe we'll –" the rodian stopped in mid-sentence as the boy stepped forward frowning.

"Leave ... NOW." He declared in a strong, demanding voice.

"Y-you, what are- we'll just be going now." The rodian stammered as he and the weequay ran off as fast as their legs could carry them.

"How did you do that?" a now amazed Aayla asked her savior.

"Those guys are all cowards." He replied nonchalantly, "Ya just gotta be tough and they won't bother ya at all."

"Who were they exactly?"

"Slavers, if they had got ya you probably would be somewhere on the black market right now." The realization made her shiver. She knew all about how people would enslave twileks and sell them for their beauty and grace, her own family included among them. It was at this moment Aayla vowed that she would never be as helpless as she'd been here again.

"Aayla is that you?" a familiar voice distantly called out to her.

"Master Drallig!" the girl yelled back as she started running.

XXXXXXXXXX

Master Yoda breathed a sigh of relief as he felt Master Drallig returning with young Secura. It looked liked the governor's search parties would not be needed after all. But wait, something was amiss. There was another stronger force presence traveling with them he did not recognize. As the figures came into view, he found the source of power to be coming from a young, grinning, silver-haired boy that seemed to be walking alongside the two.

"Successful, you appear to have been on your search Master Drallig." Yoda said, his eyes still fixated on the boy.

"Yes, I had some difficulty initially, but it proved to be no problem in the end." As Aayla approached, Yoda noticed how the twilek seemed to shrink as she got nearer to him, no doubt worrying about the future punishment that was to come.

"Worried we were about you, young one. Broke the rules you did in wandereing off alone."

"I know Master Yoda. I should have stayed like you told us to and not left the group to begin with and I should never have gone to the junkyard." Happy that the Youngling appeared to have learned her error, he now decided to focus on her new friend.

"In the past that is, and better we are now because of it. But see I do a new friend you've made. Polite, it would be to introduce him would it not?"

"Oh, right! This is-" Aayla paused as she realized that during her ordeal she'd never even bothered asking the boy his name. Before she could respond however, he answered Yoda's question for her.

"Gin. Gin Ichimaru."

"Well, young Gin thank you I do for helping our friend find her way back to us. Master Drallig take young Secura to be with the others, leave we should before any other catastrophes can occur." As Cin nodded and took Aayla away, Yoda turned again to Gin hoping to unravel more of the mystery behind this boy. "Found Aayla in the junkyard you did, a very dangerous place for one to be."

"Naw, it's fine once you get used to it. Leave people alone and they'll leave you alone once they know not to mess with ya." The whole time he talked, Yoda noticed his smile never faltered once as if it didn't seem to care about the harsh environment or people surrounding it.

"Stay with your family there you do then?" he questioned.

"Nope, Gin don't have any family." With these words Yoda quickly found himself forming a plan in his head. This boy's sheer power almost certainly made him jedi material, that could not be denied. To simply leave him here would not only be a waste of potential talent, but could also be dangerous with a powerful rogue force user on the loose. The fact that they were short on Jedi only added to the need for new recruits. As an orphan there would technically be nothing stopping him from coming with them, the only real impasse being whether or not the boy wished it.

"Know you what I am Gin?" Yoda asked.

"Course, I do. You're a Jedi."

"A great power rests within you. A Jedi too you could be, if come with us you do." Gin paused as if considering the option that had been laid out before him. "Would I get to see that blue girl again?" he asked.

"Yes, if accepted put into her class you would most likely be." The master answered.

The grin on Gin's face got even bigger as he gave his answer.

"Sure, why not."

XXXXXXXXXX

After returning to Coruscant, Master Yoda ordered a convening of the Jedi Council to discuss the future of their new candidate. After everyone was gathered Mace Windu called the council to order.

"While on Ord Mantell, Masters Yoda and Drallig discovered a boy with what they believe to be extremely strong force potential. The boy, Gin Ichimaru, has been brought here to Coruscant for us to decide if he is indeed capable of becoming a jedi." He then clicked a switch on his council seat, "Send him in."

As Gin walked into the room, he looked around observing all the beings assembled before him. _"So this is the Jedi Council, the people who decide whether or not you make the cut to begin with. Looks more like a freakshow to me."_

"We do not take kindly to people who do not have respect for the appearances of others, young Ichimaru." Master Oppo Rancisis said gruffly.

"Hey, how'd ya know what I was thinkin'?"

"As Jedi we have the ability to probe into people's minds and view their consciousness if we wish to by using the force." Mace replied. Needless to say he was unimpressed with the boy so far, his attitude being nowhere near what he would expect of a future Jedi.

"Hmm, so Jedi can do this to anyone whenever ya want to?"

Master Yarael Poof answered this time, "No, most of the time a jedi will only use this technique if he is in dire need or a dangerous situation."

"So why are ya lookin' at my mind?"

"We simply want to be sure as to whether or not you would be qualified for jedi training." Master Eeth Koth stated.

"Let us move on to the questioning." Mace interjected, wanting to move on to more serious matters. "You told Master Yoda you were an orphan living in the junkyard section of Ord Mantell by yourself. This is true?"

"Yup."

"We were also told by young Secura that drove off three slavers who had been chasing her. How were you able to do this?" Master Koon asked kindly.

"They tried to steal my food from me a couple weeks ago, so I beat 'em up and told them not to bother me anymore. When I saw 'em again I said they should leave and they did." Gin recollected in a pleasant tone much to the council's surprise.

"It would have been difficult for one as young as yourself to have survived such a hazardous environment." Master Tiin questioned, "How were you able do so?"

"I dunno. You tell me Master Jedi." Gin stated almost as if he were goading the Jedi into exploring his mind again. But as Master Tiin attempted to however, he realized he couldn't. All of a sudden the boy's mind was swirling with different thoughts and images moving too fast for even a telepath of his caliber to follow._"Incredible, to have formed a counter to the mind probe so quickly after only seeing it used once. It's unheard of." _he thought.

"Enough I think we have seen, yes?" Yoda said turning to the other council members. One by one they nodded in agreement. "Go, now you may Gin off to your quarters."

"Huh, but I just got here!" Gin exclaimed with confusion.

"Off with you now Gin, much to discuss about you the council does." After what appeared to be a confused Gin left the room, Yoda turned to his fellow council members. "See you now why I brought him, hmmm?"

"I admit that his skills and countering the mind probe were impressive, but I still say he's too old. We should hold to tradition and raise Jedi from birth as we have always done." Rancisis retorted. Other council members nodded in agreement.

"Please, you always use that line Oppo." Plo Koon countered, "Master Drallig stated his presence was so stong that he was at first hesitant as to whether Secura was with him or not, and Master Yoda clearly saw his potential as well. It would be irresponsible to simply ignore him. I say let the boy train." Once more council members nodded their heads in agreement.

"It will come to a vote then." Mace commanded, "The council shall now decide whether or not Gin Ichimaru should become a Jedi."

"I vote yes. I say give the boy a chance." Ki-Adi Mundi voted.

"I also vote yes." Eeth Koth said agreeing.

Oppo Rancisis snorted, "I vote no. We cannot take this risk."

Yaddle nodded, "Agreed, with the Republic in its fragile state, careful and watchful we must be. Vote no I do."

"I also vote no." Even Piell said bluntly.

"You are all being too harsh," Plo Koon argued "We need to be compassionate and helpful toward others in these troubling times. I vote yes."

Adi Gallia shook her head, "While I agree with you in principle Plo that cannot always be the case. I vote yes however, allowing someone of his strength or skill to simply walk away freely would be foolhardy."

"I vote no. Even if the boy was trained he would be years behind his classmates. Struggling to catch up might easily anger and influence him toward the dark side." Depa Billiba said with a neutral look on her face.

Saesee Tiin had his eyes closed and seemed to be meditating on which side to choose. "Though I had difficulty surmising his intentions, Gin appeared to have had no fear or anger within him. I vote yes."

"I abstain from this vote." Was all Master Poof said.

"My vote will also be no and with 5 masters voting yes, 5 voting no, and Master Poof abstaining, it falls to Yoda to break the deadlock." The council members all turned to the small, wrinkled, green jedi for what the final decision would be.

"On Ord Mantell, helped young Aayla he did with no promise of reward or privilege for himself. Survived the dangers of the planet he did alone, without giving into fear or anger and talented he has already shown himself to be...A jedi he is. Train him we will."

XXXXXXXXXX

A/N: So, did you think it was good? Please review and give your responses because I would really have no desire to continue a fic nobody is going to even bother commenting on or read.


	2. Chapter 1: The Student Meets the Master

**Grinnin' Jedi**

A/N: Awesome, thanks for the feedback guys! Okay, so I will definitely be continuing this fic. My goal will be to try and update weekly which shouldn't be hard since I am currently unemployed (stupid economy =p). As for questions about the story:

home dawg fo shizzle: You'll just have to wait and see ...

A/N: SPOILERS FOR BLEACH FANS: Okay, could someone please clarify for me Gin's current status? Rangiku said he 'disappeared' so is he dead, did he leave, where is he? I demand answers Kubo!

Disclaimer: Bleach belongs to Tite Kubo and Star Wars to George Lucas because if I owned Star Wars, Jar Jar would never exist, Darth Maul would have lasted past one movie, and Greivous would not have gotten owned so easily by Obi-Wan. But I don't own Star Wars so none of that matters!

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**Chapter 1: The Student Meets the Master**

1 year later ...

The Jedi Council had reconvened once again to discuss Gin Ichimaru albeit this time for different reasons. The boy that many of them had been unsure would be fit for training had quickly proved himself to be anything but. In one year, he had not only caught up with his class that was already years ahead of him, but had managed to surpass them as well. He was nothing short of a genius, the likes of which the Jedi had never before encountered in their lifetime.

"Created quite a name for himself young Ichimaru has, no?" Master Yoda said beginning the discussion.

"Without a doubt, the boy's progress cannot be denied." Ki-Adi-Mundi answered.

"Progress? I would say that it is far beyond simply that. The Order hasn't seen a prodigy of his caliber since Revan thousands of years ago." Master Rancisis replied. Despite having been one of the most opposed to Gin's joining at first, the Master had slowly been won over after seeing the boy's prowess and discipline in action. He was now in fact probably his strongest supporter.

Plo Koon nodded, "Agreed, he's mastered everything we currently have to teach him. All that remains is to find a suitable master."

"I doubt it will be hard, there will probably be a line of them wanting to be the one that will instruct him." Eeth Koth speculated.

"We cannot be hasty on this decision however." Rancisis said, shaking his head. "If we chose a master unready to teach him, the results could be disastrous for both him and the Order. We must find one with both the knowledge and skill available to guide him."

"Why the caution Oppo?" Mace questioned, "It's not like you to pay such close attention to one student over others."

"It is because this one may be the individual that will decide the future of the entire Jedi Order." Rancisis argued back. "In my own opinion, I believe he could indeed be the one the prophecy spoke of. The Chosen One."

A silence fell over the Council. "Are you certain of this Oppo?" Saesee asked, still slightly stunned from the remark. "I don't disagree with you on him being a prodigy, but he's no more stronger in the force than Master Yoda or Windu. I was always under the belief that it would be one whose force talents would surpass all others."

"The prophecy was never specific in the abilities the Chosen One would entail." Even Piell spoke up. "It could easily have meant intelligence or military prowess as well as force potential."

"Exactly," Master Rancisis agreed "And that is why we cannot afford any mistakes on this matter. Hmph, I will train Ichimaru myself if the need arises."

"I feel we are all moving too quickly in this decision to assign him a Master already." Adi Gallia interjected. "Personally, I feel that he is still not yet ready to become a padawan."

Before any of the Council could move to argue, Yoda decided to take control of the situation. "What reasons have you for this Master Gallia?" he asked.

"While Ichimaru excels in his studies and lightsaber combat, he still lacks in one category. The boy has hardly formed any connections or friendships with the students his age." Master Gallia responded.

"I disagree. He seems to have bonded quite well with young Secura." Depa Billiba retorted.

"And that is precisely my point." Gallia shot back, "It has ONLY been with her and no one else. On top of that, I've talked to other students about how they felt about Ichimaru and some of the responses were rather ... disturbing. They actually seemed ... scared of him."

"Bah, they are probably simply jealous. So he has had some trouble making friends. So have many other Jedi in the past and that has not troubled them or their careers at all." An annoyed Rancisis rebutted.

"You aren't listening! We-"

"Enough!" Master Windu yelled, loud enough so that everyone turned to him. "We are the Jedi Council, not a squabbling group of politicians. This Council was convened because a master already has come forward agreeing to train young Ichimaru. We will now decide whether or not that candidate is indeed qualified to do this."

As the selected master walked in, the Council one by one gave their consent, eventually deciding that he would indeed be qualified to train their most current promising candidates.

XXXXXXXXXX

Meanwhile, deep within the temple training room two small lightsabers clashed against each other, both fighting for dominance.

_Zing!_

_Hiss!_

"Oww!" One of the two wielders yelled as the training saber hit her arm.

"That's ten hits. Looks like I win again." The other said cheerfully.

"Yeah, but I almost beat you that time!"

"Nuh-uh."

"Yeah-huh!"

"Nuh-uh."

"Yeah-huh!"

"Allright, enough you two!" A third voice yelled, coming into play. "Gin, Aayla you've trained enough for one day. It's time for bed!"

"But Master Drallig we just got started!"

"No buts Gin! And you started three hours ago! I would say you and Aayla have enough saber scorches to make one think you were in a cantina shootout!"

"What happened to you? You're no fun anymore."

"Bed! Now!" he commanded.

"Come on Gin, we'd better go."

"Fine. It was getting kind've boring beating you over and over again anyway."

"Hey!"

As the arguing pair walked off, Cin Drallig found himself chuckling. In the year after he had arrived at the temple, Gin and Aayla had become nearly inseparable from each other. They seemed to do everything together, whether it was just simply studying or getting into all sorts of trouble. He himself had taken a special liking to the two, even granting them the privelage of extra lightsaber training under his supervision.

While Gin seemed to have no trouble with hardly anything he came across, Aayla still had struggles with various sorts of problems expected from the average youngling. What impressed Cin the most about the two however, was their teamwork and cooperation. Gin helped Aayla with her studies and training while also giving her a challenge to overcome, thus improving her skills overall. In return he got someone to talk to and play with while also keeping his skills sharp. Because of this both had gained a unique understanding of the other and had formed a bond which greatly strengthened them both.

Where some Jedi might have felt such attachment should be stopped due to its many possible harmful scenarios, Cin disagreed as Gin did not have many friends to begin with and he had seen more positive results from the bond than negative. He was saddened then, at the prospect that Gin would soon be leaving with his new master separating the two for a time. But those were the sacrifices required of a Jedi and they would have to learn it sooner or later.

XXXXXXXXXX 

"Well, that brings the total count to 56 win for Gin and 0 for Aayla!"

"You know I came close 37 times!"

"Close isn't a win though is it?"

Gin and Aayla continued arguing about who won and who 'almost' won until they finally reached the quarters in the temple where the Youngling slept.

"Night Gin, and I will beat you tomorrow!"

"Night Aayla, and no ya won't!"

As Aayla opened the door to her room and laid down on her bed, she reminisced about how much her life had changed over the past year.

_Flashback_

_As Aayla got into the ship she was immediately greeted and hugged by Xiann._

"_Aayla where were you! I was so worried!" she cried._

"_Sorry Xiann, I was messing around in the junkyard."_

"_What? After Master Drallig told us specifically not to?"_

"_Yeah, but I made it back okay so Master Yoda says everything is fine now." Aayla replied in a relieved voice._

"_Really? Wow, you get so lucky! I'd probably be scrubbing the hull of the ship right now if it were me."_

"_Well, it was really scary so-"_

_Aayla stopped in mid sentence as she saw her silver haired rescuer approaching her on the ship. "Gin? What are you doing here? Why are you on the ship?"_

"_Master Yoda said I have a 'great power' and that if I came with ya guys I would get to be a Jedi! Cool, huh!"_

"_Aayla, who is this?" Xiann asked curiously._

"_Oh! Xiann this is Gin. He helped me find my way back when I got lost in the junkyard."_

"_Nice to meet you Gin." Xiann greeted politely._

"_Nice to meet ya Xiann." Gin replied in an equally polite tone. He then turned to Aayla. "Now what was ya name again? I don't believe you ever did tell me."_

"_I'm so sorry!" Aayla said turning red with embarrassment, "I didn't-, I mean-, my name is Aayla Secura and thank you for helping me! She managed to stumble out._

_To her surprise, Gin started laughing. "I know that! I was just messing with ya! I already heard them mention your name a bunch when they were talking."_

"_So..., you just did that because you thought it was funny!" She said starting to get angry._

"_Yup!" was the reply._

"_Meanie!" she yelled as she stormed off._

"_What's with her?" he asked Xiann._

"_I think you made her mad."_

_XXXXXXXXXX_

_A few days after they got back to the temple, things had gotten back to normal with the only exception being its new student: Gin. The younglings were currently receiving instruction by Master Drallig in Form I: Shi-Cho. While he went on about how Shii-Cho was useful for multiple opponents and the various blade techniques it used, Aayla had turned her attention to Gin who was sitting across from her. She didn't understand why she'd gotten so angry at him on the ship considering how much he had helped her earlier, but now she couldn't seem to help but feel weird and embarrassed whenever she was around him._

"_Aayla, pay attention!" Master Dralliq said in a loud voice._

"_Yes, Master Drallig!" She stammered, her concentration broken._

"_Now everyone I am going to partner you up with another student so you can practice what I've just taught you." As Master Drallig put people into pairs Aayla realized that she had completely ignored the entire lesson. 'What am I going to do now?' she thought as the battlemaster turned to face her._

"_Lets see. Aayla why don't you go partner with ... Gin." _

"_What? Why do I have to work with him!" _

"_Because Gin is new and unused to our training here and since you weren't paying attention I think you will both be evenly matched."_

_As Aayla turned to face Gin, she took an offensive lightsaber stance._

"_Don't think I'll go easy on you just because your new." She said in a tough voice._

"_Good, 'cuz I won't go easy on you either!" he said in his now-familiar chipper tone._

_As they brought their training sabers to clash, Aayla immediately found herself on the defensive. Gin seemed to be everywhere at once with his weapon, blocking each of her attacks and responding with a counter in turn. Soon she found herself tired and out of breath, while Gin appeared unfazed, his smile as big as ever. In desperation, she charged forward one last time only for Gin to sidestep as she crashed into the floor._

"_Well done Gin!" Master Drallig said approvingly, patting the boy on the back. "You performed all the movements perfectly after seeing them only once. I think you'll be quite handy with that saber in years to come." He then turned to face Aayla. "Aayla," he said in a stern voice, "Your movements were completely off and had no style or power to them whatsoever. You may have to come in later for another lesson with me to keep you on track with the others."_

_As the class ended, Aayla returned to her quarters with her head hung low. She'd gotten beaten by 'the new kid' in front of everyone, disappointed Master Drallig, and now might even have to take additional lessons. The day had not gone well. Unless...she thought as a plan formed in her mind._

_XXXXXXXXXX_

_In the dead of night, a young figure stalked quietly through the Jedi Temple, obviously wanting to awaken no one. As the figure traveled, it slowly entered the temple training room and then proceeded over to where the training lightsabers were stored. Taking one, the figure lit the elegant weapon, illuminating her face in the darkness._

_Breathing slowly, Aayla took the basic Shii-Cho stance and slowly began practicing its basic movements, albeit with great effort. She hadn't gotten far though when she was put on alert by a familiar voice._

"_Ya know, it's easier to practice that with two people instead of one."_

_Aayla turned around only to see her smiling rival watching her in the darkness. "What are you doing here?" She asked angrily, in no mood for talking._

"_I was waiting for ya. See I knew you'd come here sooner or later because ya don't seem like the type to quit or give up." He replied._

"_That still doesn't explain your reason for being here." She retorted suspiciously._

_He laughed. "Isn't it obvious? I'm here to help ya!" _

_The stunned twilek found herself unable to speak for a few seconds before replying. "Why would you want to help me?" she asked dumbfounded._

"'_Cuz i'm your friend and that's what friends do. They help each other." Her answer came._

"_We're ... friends?"_

"_Course we are. Now what ya want to do is stand like this and ..."  
_

_Flashback End_

As Aayla thought back to that night she could only smile now. Since then, Gin had continued to help Aayla whenever she had trouble with a lesson or exercise. Eventually, they had become inseparable doing almost everything together while becoming better and stronger in the process. Closing her eyes, the young girl proceeded to think pleasant thoughts and went to sleep.

XXXXXXXXXX

The next morning, Aayla woke up and proceeded to walk with Gin together to breakfast. As they entered the cafeteria, she saw Xiann and some other younglings sitting at a nearby table.

"Aayla!" Xiann waved. "Come sit with us!" As Aayla moved to go over to the table, she noticed Gin staying behind.

"Aren't you coming?" She asked.

"Naw, I was actually gonna go to the library." He replied.

"Are you sure? What about breakfast?"

"I'll just grab something on the way out. See ya, Aayla!" he waved as he turned to leave.

"See ya, Gin." Aayla said softly watching her friend leave. She then moved to sit down next to Xiann and her friends.

"Where was Gin going Aayla?" Xiann asked.

"Oh, he said he was going to the library."

"Good," a young Aqualish stated. "I don't want to be anywhere near that guy."

"Me neither," the Gran next to him agreed. "He can stay in the library as long as he wants for all I care."

Aayla frowned. She knew some of the other students didn't like Gin but this was the first time she'd actually heard talk of it up close. The more rapidly Gin had progressed in their lessons, the more others seemed to shy away from him as the gap between them grew larger and larger. She had assumed it was simply jealousy, but it now seemed like it was something else entirely.

"What's wrong with Gin?" She questioned, "He's really nice once you get to know him."

"Well, it's just-, he's so _creepy_ with that smile of his all the time and the way his eyes are just always slightly open." The Aqualish said shivering slightly.

"That's not true!" Aayla protested, turning to Xiann for support. "You don't think Gin's creepy do you Xiann?"

"Well ... maybe a little." She said softly. "I know you're friends with him Aayla, but he does seem a bit ... scary sometimes."

Aayla quickly got up and began walking away from the group of students.

"Aayla, where are you going?" Xiann called out to her.

"Away from here!" She yelled back angrily as she stormed off.

XXXXXXXXXX

At the same time, Gin had arrived at the library and was reading a holopad on advanced lightsaber forms and styles. As he was reading, he noticed a figure approaching him out of the corner of his eye. The figure right walked up until he was standing next to the desk he was sitting at.

"May I sit?" he asked.

"Sure. What do ya want?" Gin replied.

"You get right to the point I see. Good, I like that." The figure chuckled. "I came here Gin to ask you a question."

"Go ahead."

"Very well. Gin, my name is Sora Bulq. How would you like to be my apprentice?"

XXXXXXXXXX

Far away from the Jedi Temple, unbeknownst to anyone at the time, a dark figure watched the conversation taking place between the Master and student. He'd been monitoring the so-called 'genius' ever since he had arrived at the temple one year ago and by all means he was impressed so far with the talent the boy had shown. Now, some even whispered in the temple halls that he could be the Jedi's prophecized savior, the Chosen One.

"Interesting," Darth Sidious said to himself before chuckling, "Gin Ichimaru, I foresee that you will indeed be a very useful servant to me in the years to come."

XXXXXXXXXX

**Next Chapter: Mission to Illum! The Creation of the Lightsabers!**

A/N: Whew, another chapter finished! Okay, so the next few chapters will involve some timeskips in order to help speed the story along to where it need's to be. I've also decided I am going to include at least one more Bleach character in the story, but I won't say who right now =).


	3. Chapter 2: Mission to Illum!

**Grinnin' Jedi**

A/N: Yay! Even more hits and reviews! Thanks for all you're support because I have quite enjoyed writing out this story so far.

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or Star Wars because if I did, I would be rolling in cash right now. Don't bother suing because I got nothing!

Remember to Review!

**Chapter 2: Mission to Illum! The Creation of the Lightsabers!**

6 years later ...

Seven years had now passed since Gin had first arrived at the Jedi Temple and six since he had become apprenticed to Master Bulq. Currently, the two were walking together to meet up with Master Quinlan Vos and his padawan Aayla for a joint mission they would be conducting together. A few years after Gin had joined Master Bulq, Aayla had become apprenticed to Master Vos, who had kept his eye on the young twilek's progress ever since he'd helped rescue her on Ryloth as a child. The two had formed a close bond, with Aayla seeing Quinlan in many ways as the father she had never had, pushing her hard to do her best but always being compassionate about it.

Gin and Sora's relationship on the other hand was entirely different. It was strictly teacher and student, with Bulq expecting nothing but the best from his padawan learner. As one of the Order's most foremost lightsaber duelists and one of only three wielders of Vaapad, Sora Bulq had trained many Jedi in the past with each one rising to their own fame. He considered Gin to be one of the most important candidates he had ever taught and because of it constantly pushed him to the limit. It didn't seem to bother Gin however, as he simply accepted whatever training given of him and proceeded to do it. They had even become something of celebrities in the last few years, with Gin's genius status and Master Bulq's experience making them a formidable duo.

Gin waved to Aayla as she came into sight. "Hiya, Aayla!" he greeted.

"Gin!" Aayla yelled as she ran over and gave him a welcoming hug. Despite not being able to see each other near as much as they used to, the two had remained as close as ever and continued to train and work together at the Temple when not on missions, often trading stories about their different experiences.

"Allright, enough with the hugging you two. It's time we got down to business don't you think Master Bulq?" Quinlan said turning to the Weequay.

"Indeed," he replied. "Padawans, you have both shown great progress in the last few years on the path to becoming Jedi. As you know, part of becoming a Jedi is the creation of your own lightsaber. Normally, you would not finish them until much later in your training and would use those provided by the temple until then. However, there is a growing unrest in the Republic at the moment and because of it, the Council has decided it would be better for padawans such as yourself to build them sooner rather than later. Therefore, Master Vos and I will be taking you to Illum where you will do this very thing." The Weequay master finished.

"But isn't lightsaber creation something we're supposed to do on our own? Why are they sending both of us together?" Aayla asked curiously.

"Since you and Gin have worked well together in the past, the Council decided you both would be good candidates for this new type of training in order to see if it works. Since you're the first to do it however, the Council decided a pair would be better than a single lone individual." Quinlan answered.

"Very good Master Vos." Bulq said in agreement before turning once again to face the two. "Now, do you both understand what is being asked of you? On Illum you may face dangers the likes of which you have never encountered or imagined. If either of you wish to back out, now is the time to do so."

Both padawans turned to look at each other before Gin answered for them a second later.

"What are we waiting for? Let's go!"

XXXXXXXXXX

As their ship traveled through hyperspace, Masters Vos and Bulq sat in the cockpit while Gin and Aayla sat in the back discussing different happenings and various items of interest.

"... and then the bad guy wiped out all the good guys without even getting a scratch on him!"

"Really, all of them?"

"Yep, and not only that, but he had this really cool, smart, good-looking subordinate with a super long poison sword that could wipe out everyone!"

"This story sounds overrated to me."

"You just have no appreciation for the classics Aayla." Gin scolded his friend, waving his finger.

"So..., apparently that Skywalker kid is making a big name for himself at the Temple now." Aayla told Gin, switching the topic.

"Really? I'd heard he was good, but I assumed it was just exaggerations." Gin replied, "Hmm, I may just have to pay him a visit to see how talented he really is."

"You'd better not hurt him. He is just a kid after all."

"Aayla I'm shocked! I would never hurt one of the Order's most promising young pupils! Well ... at least not permanently." He said with his usual grin. Aayla rolled her eyes, despite Master Bulq's ruthless training, Gin hadn't changed one bit since she'd first met him. She was secretly glad of this however, as she had been a bit afraid when he first became a padawan that her friend would become something radically different than the boy she had grown up with.

"Gin, don't ever change." She said closing her eyes.

"Huh? Where did that come from?" he asked, a surprised look on his face.

"Never mind." She grumbled as a brief silence followed.

"So," Gin said, starting up the conversation anew, "Rumor has it you and Master Fisto have been getting pretty cozy together lately."

"Wh-What?" She stammered while blushing, "Th-That's not true! Where did you hear that?"

"Oh, here and there." Came the answer.

"Well... he had been helping me with some of my training when Master Vos isn't around, but that's it, there's nothing else going on!" She said quickly her face turning bright red.

"Hmm, well I may just have to pay Master Fisto a visit sometime as well then." Gin said with a mischievous look in his eye.

Before Aayla could respond, Master Vos's voice came over the intercom. "We just dropped out of hyperspace and will be landing on the planet shortly. You had both better get ready."

"Well, looks like chatting time is over." Gin said "Time for the fun to begin."

XXXXXXXXXX

Together, the group of Jedi traveled on the planet's icy surface until they reached the entrance to the Crystal Caves where they paused for further instruction. "Here is where your journey will begin." Master Bulq stated, "You both have your hilts correct?" Both students nodded, each carrying the hilts they had labored to construct over the last few years on their belts. "Good, inside you will complete your sabers by finding a crystal to power and grant it life. Do not be hasty in choosing and take time to be selective." He then lowered his voice to a whisper, "Also, I will let you in on a secret. Deep within the caves lie rare focusing crystals which may give your lightsaber rare and unprecedented abilities. But be warned, the deeper you go in, the greater the danger will be."

"It is now time for us to go." Master Vos continued, "You are now on your own." Both masters then walked away, leaving the two padawans alone at the entrance.

Aayla turned to Gin, "Are you nervous?" she asked.

"Nervous? Why would I be nervous? All we gotta do is go in, grab a crystal and get out. It's easy." He said cheerfully.

"I wish I was as confident as you are." The twilek said sounding nervous. "I'm just worried about the dangers Master Bulq mentioned."

"Don't worry, I'll always look out for ya." Her friend told her as he walked ahead into the caves.

"Thank you, Gin." She whispered softly as she followed after him.

XXXXXXXXXX 

As the two padawans walked into the caves, they noticed for the most part that the caverns were mostly quiet with no apparent signs of life.

This did not last long however, as they soon came across what appeared to have been a large, now-empty, nesting ground. Bending over, Aayla surmised from the markings and patterns that whatever had lived here must've been huge and at least several times bigger than her or Gin.

"What do you think could've lived here?" she asked him.

"It was probably Gorgodons." He answered.

"Gorgodons?"

"Yep, they're these big, black, furry things that live on Illum. They're also supposed to be really vicious and have a good sense of smell and hearing, but bad vision."

Aayla gulped, "I hope we don't run into any."

Gin grinned back, "Don't worry we could take 'em."

Aayla once again wished she had her friend's confidence as they continued traveling even deeper into the mysterious catacombs. Eventually though, the duo came to a large section of the caves completely coated in blue and green crystals, covering the area in countless different shades of light. Both padawans immediately went to work searching for a crystal that suited them. Soon, Aayla discovered a shining blue crystal that seemed to stand out to her from the rest. Taking it, she proceeded to go to work, taking apart her lightsaber with the force and then placing the crystal inside. The result was a shining blue blade that glowed with life and energy.

Excited with her success, the young twilek quickly ran over to where Gin was standing. "Gin!" She cried happily, "I finished my lightsaber! Did you complete yours yet?"

Her friend shook his head. "Naw, I don't like any of these colors. Green and blue are so _boring_. I'm gonna go further in and look for a different one."

Aayla sighed, _'Why can't he just pick a normal color like everyone else.' _She thought to herself.

"Ya don't have to come if you don't wanna Aayla." A smiling Gin said, noting her annoyance with his decision. "I can go ahead and find it on my own."

"Oh no, you don't," Aayla protested, "I'm not leaving you in here alone with those ... Gorgodon things. I'm coming too, so lets just find your crystal and get out of here."

Once again, the two set off trekking deeper and deeper into the caves. As they traveled it became darker and darker until it soon became pitch black. Soon, both padawans were relying solely on the force for guidance in the darkness.

"Gin, how much farther are we going to go? I hope you remember the way back because I sure don't." Aayla told her friend.

"Don't worry, we ain't gonna be here much longer. Look ahead."

As Aayla turned to look, she once again encountered light, this time coming faintly from a small silver crystal on the ground.

A smiling Gin picked it up and after looking it over, proceeded to go to work on his lightsaber. As he was working however, Aayla sensed several life forms quickly approaching them from the front and back.

"Gin, do you sense that?" she asked, as her friend put the finishing touches on his weapon before looking up.

"Looks like we ain't alone anymore." He answered activating his lightsaber to reveal a short, silver blade. Aayla lit her own blue one which together illuminated the area around them. She gasped to see that they were now surrounded by at least 10 growling Gorgodons.

"Wow, they _are _big." Gin said sounding amused.

"This is no time for joking Gin!" Aayla snapped, "We're outnumbered and I honestly don't think we can take all of them on at once."

Gin just laughed. "You worry too much Aayla. All ya gotta do to beat these things is sever the spine behind their head like this!" He then proceeded to jump on the nearest one's head and with a quick flick of his lightsaber did just that. The Gorgodon screamed in pain and then seemed to stand still. "Cut that and they'll be paralyzed no problem. Also, watch out for their spit. You don't want to get hit with any of that stuff. Trust me." Gin warned as he moved on to another.

Aayla soon found herself forced into action as the other Gorgodons proceeded to charge her and Gin. Jumping on one, she found herself able to mimic Gin's actions quite easily as the creatures were much slower than either her or Gin. She didn't have anytime for pause however, as a large brown blur zoomed past her head. She turned to see one of the Gorgodon's saliva hit the cavern walls hissing as it made contact. _'Gin was right about the spit. I definitely don't want to get hit by any of that.'_

Despite her initial fear of them, the Gorgodons proved to not be much trouble. Soon, they were all paralyzed and unable to move or harm them. It had been easy...almost too easy. She turned to face Gin, who was playfully waving his hand inches from one of the immobile creatures faces when she suddenly heard an ear-splitting roar.

"RAWRGG!"

A huge Gorgodon came into appearance, but this one was nearly twice as big as the ones they had previously encountered. A long scar ran across it's face as it opened it's massive jaws revealing three huge rows of massive teeth.

Gin whistled. "Whew, now _he _is a big one. Looks pretty tough too."

"Gin, how are we gonna stop this one? I don't think-" before Aayla could finish her sentence the beast launched itself into battle. The twilek was barely able to avoid its massive tail as it was swung around so that neither padawan received an opportunity for attack. Attempting to end the battle quickly, Aayla jumped on the monster's back and worked to sever it's spine behind the head as she had done with the others. Before she was able to however, the Gorgodon threw her off it's back with sheer strength, slamming her body into the cave wall.

Aayla felt her vision going blurry as the monster approached her, raising it's massive fist to attack. As it came down however, she felt herself get pushed aside as Gin knocked her away from the attack.

"I think its time we ended this." He said in one of his rare serious moments. Raising his hand toward the ceiling, a boulder quickly fell down smashing into the beast's tail. The Gorgodon howled in pain at the contact, giving Gin all the opportunity he needed to leap and slice with his lightsaber. The creature's head fell to the ground moments later.

Gin walked over to the still slightly stunned Aayla, helping her to get off the ground. "You okay?" he asked.

"Yes I'm-, Gin! You're arm!" Aayla exclaimed, noting a huge bleeding gash from where he must have gotten hit while protecting her.

"Oh this? It's just a flesh wound." He replied casually.

"No, it's not!" a now frantic sounding Aayla responded. "We need to get you back to the ship now!"

"Okay, okay, don't worry I'll-," Gin paused looking over to where the Gorgodon's severed head lay. Next to it was a shiny crystal that shimmered slightly in the dark.

"What is that?" Aayla questioned. "It doesn't look like one of the regular crystals. Could it be a focusing crystal like Master Bulq mentioned?"

"Must be." Gin agreed, walking over to pick it up. "I must've eaten it and the crystal made it act crazy." Taking it in his palm, he handed it toward Aayla. "Ya want it?"

"What-, no you keep it. You stopped the Gorgodon so it's yours. Come on, let's just get you out of here in one piece." Aayla said as she helped her injured friend out of the caves. Thanks to Gin's memory, the two padawans were eventually able to make it out of the caves to the entrance where their masters were waiting for them.

Quinlan walked over to the two, looking concerned. "Are you both allright?" he asked.

Aayla shook her head, "I'm okay, but Gin hurt his arm protecting me."

Bulq frowned. "A Jedi should not have to rely on others for protection. You are a leader and others will look to you for guidance. If you cannot come to rely on yourself when the time comes, it could lead both you and your comrades to disaster."

Aayla looked down ashamed at her feet, while Quinlan frowned at his fellow teacher. "They're just padawans Sora, not full-fledged Jedi yet, and they _did_ both complete their lightsabers which was our mission to begin with."

Gin's master smiled, "Of course, you are right Master Vos. I apologize if I sounded harsh Aayla, and congratulate you on your success. I simply wished to demonstrate to you the importance of self-reliance and how as a Jedi it will often be sorely needed."

The young padawan nodded, "I understand Master Bulq."

"Umm, I know this is a great teaching moment and all," Gin interrupted, "But I _am _the one with the bleeding arm here, so could we please get back to the ship and off this frozen rock?"

XXXXXXXXXX

By the next day the group had returned to Coruscant having successfully completed their mission. The Council had been pleased that it had gone well, with both Gin and Aayla successfully completing construction of their sabers. As a reward they had been given the day off, being free to do whatever they wished. Aayla was currently doing girl things with Xiann, leaving Gin alone to wander the Temple Halls.

Having found no suitable victims for mischief, Gin decided to take a trip toward the Temple Training Room to see how well the class there was performing in its exercises. As he entered the room, he quickly was seen by Master Drallig who waved to him in greeting.

"Gin my boy, good to see you! Heard all about your mission on Illum!" He congratulated. "I wonder, would you be willing to give these youngsters a few pointers in lightsaber combat?"

"Sure," he replied, "I got time to kill."

"Excellent!" Master Drallig said happily, "Now Gin why don't you and I-"

"What's so great about him?" One student blurted out.

"Anakin mind your manners! Gin is a guest here and –"

"It's okay Master Drallig." Gin cut in raising his hand. "Let me handle this. You're Skywalker, right kid?"

"Yeah, what's it to you?" he replied, trying to sound tough.

"I've heard talk that you're pretty talented. What d'ya say we see how good you really are with that lightsaber."

Anakin grinned, "Sure, it'll be great wiping that smirk off your face."

"Now Gin I-" Master Drallig stepped forward as Gin pulled a training lightsaber to his hand with the force.

"Don't worry Master, I'll use a training lightsaber to keep it safe, and I hurt my arm in my last mission so I'll even fight with a hand behind my back. Does that sound acceptable?" he asked.

Cin sighed, "Very well, maybe this will help to curb Anakin's wild streak and teach him a little more discipline."

As the two combatants stood across from each other Master Drallig stated the rules. "The goal of this duel will be to hit your opponent five times with your lightsaber. No force powers are allowed."

Anakin taunted Gin, "You must be really stupid if you think you can beat me with only one arm."

'_What an amusing kid.' _Gin thought. "My, my, aren't you the arrogant one. Well, I'll be a gentleman for once and let you even have the first attack. Let's see what ya got!" he said, goading Anakin forward with his hand.

Anakin responded only too easily, recklessly charging forward bent on winning with the first blow. Gin easily sidestepped him however, and Anakin nearly fell over as he attempted to change direction to follow.

Launching himself into another attack, he raised his training saber above his head bringing it down against Gin's. _'So, he's a Form V user.' _he calculated from his aggressive, albeit sloppy, strikes. This would be no problem for him as Aayla was already proficient in both Forms IV and V, giving him an extensive knowledge of the style and its techniques from their many duels. Gin himself preferred the more vicious Form VII: Juyo style which had only improved under Master Bulq, but he had no desire right now to waste those techniques on a youngling.

A plan formed in his mind. '_Why don't I see how far I can push this kid.'_ Standing across from Anakin, who had began breathing heavily, he frowned looking disappointed. "Tsk, tsk, I really expected more out of you, and yet you're already all tuckered out. Guess I just have too high expectations for the next generation."

A wave of anger immediately swept over Anakin as he lunged forward with some final desperate attacks. "Quite the angry one aren't you?" the grinning Jedi said as he effortlessly blocked each predictable attack. Having fought against this form several times, Gin knew that the key weaknesses of Form V were fighting against single opponents and the forms severe lack of mobility. A skilled user would normally be able to overcome these weaknesses in time, but Anakin was obviously far from that stage. _'It's been fun here, but I've seen everything I wanted and it's time I get back to my other appointment.'_ Going on the offensive Gin quickly jabbed Anakin the five required times ending the match.

"Anakin has been hit five times. The victory therefore goes to Gin." Master Drallig went to help Anakin up as Gin began walking away from the class.

"Hey!" Anakin yelled, still angry at being beaten so easily. "Where do you think you're going? I want a rematch!"

Gin turned around looking amused. "You still want to fight after all that? As much as I would love to, I have somewhere to be right now so I can't. Try to keep your emotions under control so you don't lose that easily next time." He then waved to Anakin and the class before walking off.

"Bye, Bye!"

XXXXXXXXXX

Aayla walked to her quarters, happy after spending a girl's day out with Xiann. Opening her door, she realized that the room was quiet...too quiet. Suddenly, out of nowhere two figures jumped out of the darkness causing her to yelp in surprise.

"Surprise!" Quinlan and Gin yelled together, "Happy Birthday!"

Aayla facepalmed, berating herself for not having expected something like this. At the same time though, she could not help but feel warm inside, thinking back to how she had once not even had a birthday.

_Flashback_

_Seven years ago..._

_Gin and Aayla were sitting together at lunch after having completed their morning Jedi studies. As they were eating they noticed a human being greeted by many Jedi and students who were presenting him with various sorts of gifts and presents._

"_Hey, why's the kid getting all that stuff?"_

"_I think it's his birthday Gin."_

"_Oh," Gin said as he resumed eating. "Hey Aayla, when's you're birthday?" he asked with his mouth full._

"_Well..., I don't have one" was all she said._

"_Whadda ya mean you don't have one? You were born weren't ya? So, that means ya have a birthday!"_

"_I know that Gin," Aayla agreed, "It's just that...my family were slaves on Ryloth and no one actually kept track of the actual date I was born. Birthdays aren't all that important to twileks."_

"_Well that's stupid!" Gin replied, "From now on you're birthday will be the day you met me. That way ya get to have one too!"_

_Flashback End_

Aayla smiled at the memory as Quinlan presented her with his gift. "Aayla, in honor of you're thirteenth birthday and the construction of your first lightsaber, I am giving you a heart of fire crystal from Kiffu." He handed her the glowing red stone which she noted reflected different colors in the light. Quinlan continued "It's special, because the stone is said to hold a little piece of the both the giver and the receiver's spirit, allowing a part of them to always be with you." Aayla reached out and gave her Master a hug, thanking him for the gift.

"And this is from me!" Gin said holding out a small creature. "I got it on my last mission with Master Bulq on Felucia!" The creature was in fact a Felucian cat-bunny which was said to be one of the cutest animals in the galaxy.

Aayla squealed, "Oh, he's adorable! I'm going to name him T'da! Thank you Gin!" She said giving him a hug as she raced down the hall to show him to Xiann.

"But you liked the crystal better right?" Quinlan yelled after her as she left.

Gin snickered, "Told ya she'd like mine more."

"Shut up, Gin."

XXXXXXXXXX 

3 years later ...

Master Bulq and Gin walked into the Jedi Council room having been summoned there moments ago. Master Bulq turned to Yoda, "You called us up with great haste Master Yoda. Is there a problem of some sort?"

"Afraid I am there is, Master Bulq." Yoda replied sadly, "Called you here we have because of a problem concerning both thyself and thy padawan."

"What is it Master Yoda?"

"On a mission to the Outer Rim, disappeared Master Vos and Padawan Secura have."

XXXXXXXXXX

A/N: I love cliffhangers! What has happened to Quinlan and Aayla? Where are they? What will Sora and Gin do about it? Find out next time!

**Next Chapter: Search for Friends! The Dark Jedi ****Volfe Karkko!**


	4. Chapter 3: Search for Friends!

**Grinnin' Jedi**

A/N: Whew! I wasn't planning on finishing this chapter until next week, but I got so into it that I completed it last night. I don't have any of the Star Wars Comics so I relied solely on Wookieepedia for this chapter. I apologize if I got any of the major details wrong. Enjoy!

Zulu86: Thanks, I appreciate it. You'll also see more fully towards the end of this chapter why I chose Gin as the main character and how his abilities blend in so well with the Star Wars universe.

home dawg fo shizzle: Oh, don't worry Karkko is. He's actually the reason as to why I chose Aayla to be my second character. I read about him and the Anzati and thought 'I am so using these guys for my story.'

Disclaimer: Blah, Blah, Blah, I don't own Bleach or Star Wars. You know the drill.

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**Chapter 3: Search for Friends! The Dark Jedi ****Volfe Karkko!**

"Disappeared?" Master Bulq asked, "What exactly do you mean?"

"Master Vos and Padawan Secura were dispatched on a mission to the Outer Rim to find out the source of the glitteryll trade there." Master Windu informed them, "We know from their last communications over a week ago that they at least visited Ryloth, but after that the trail goes cold. They have not made contact with us or any of our agents since."

"Most disturbing." Master Bulq stated, "It is not in Master Vos's character to disregard reporting in regular updates on such an important mission. Something therefore must've happened to him and young Secura once he arrived on Ryloth."

"Precisely," Mace agreed, "Master Tholme is already working on locating the two of them, but due to the positive history both you and your apprentice have also had in the past, the Council has decided to include you in the search as well."

"We shall then do our utmost best in helping to unravel this mystery." Sora said accepting the mission, bowing as he and Gin left the chambers.

As the two walked down the halls, the Weequay turned to his padawan. "You are unusually quiet. By this point you should've said some smart remark about the mission or why we were assigned to do it in the first place. What is on your mind?"

"I dunno. I just don't feel like doing any of that today for some reason." His smiling apprentice answered. Sora could tell however from their many years together, that his padawan was both deeply concerned and disturbed by the details of their mission, with good reason. He himself had been startled by the information, as it didn't seem possible that one of the Order's most promising knights and padawans could simply disappear so easily. _'What was it that happened to them?' _He thought to himself.

"So master, what's the plan for this one? Gin asked.

"I don't know. What do you think our course of action should be my young padawan?" Sora replied. One exercise he often conducted with his students was to let them plan the course of action for the missions they were assigned. This way they would be more fully prepared to deal with different situations and take command of them when they became full Jedi. Even if the plan did not always work out correctly, it often taught the student valuable lessons for the future.

"Weeeeeell...," Gin thought out loud, putting his hand under his chin. "We know Master Vos and Aayla made it to Ryloth, but we don't know where they necessarily landed on the planet. Even if we went there to search, the trail has probably gone cold there already and it would take forever to search the entire place. Therefore, it would be better for us to go and see what intel Master Tholme has and decide our strategy from there."

"An excellent plan as usual." Master Bulq said agreeing with his padawan's assessment. "Master Tholme happens to be a good friend of mine and his quarters are located beneath the Temple. Follow me."

Eventually, the two made their way to Tholme's location, a room filled with several different computers and viewscreens detailing both Coruscant and several other planets as well. Tholme sat in a long elevated chair over a keyboard which he was currently working on. As Sora and Gin came into the room, he spun around on his chair to face them.

"Sora! It's good to see you again!" He said with a happy look on his face, "I take it this must be your famous padawan I've heard so much about over the years?"

"Yes, Tholme this is Gin. It's good to see you as well, but I'm afraid we are not here for pleasant introductions." Sora told his friend sadly.

"You're here about Quinlan and Aayla then? I had a feeling you'd come here at some point, but I'm afraid I may not be that much help to you at the moment." He informed them with a pained voice. He then turned in his chair to the computer monitors surrounding him. "In the past few years I've been working to set up an intelligence network for the Jedi to help provide data and information on different occurrences across the galaxy. The network is still young however, and I currently only have about a hundred active agents working in the field, not exactly a good number to cover the entire galaxy."

"What information do you currently possess?" Sora asked politely.

"Currently, all I know is that both Quinlan and Aayla made it onto the planet after making contact with us. They may have visited some other ones before that, but I don't know which. I also know that Quinlan isn't dead either, as I would've sensed it by now. I'm unsure of Aayla's current status."

"Aayla ain't dead either." Gin said in a casual tone.

Tholme smiled, "Well that's the best piece of news I've heard all day. It's unfortunate we don't know anything more though."

"Hmmmmm," Gin contemplated, as a calculating look rarely seen by most crossed his face. "They didn't kill 'em right off the back so that means one of two things. One, they fought back and beat 'em but haven't been able to contact us because they're somewhere they can't, or two, they got captured instead and were taken someplace where killing them wouldn't be a problem."

A surprised expression appeared on Master Tholme's face as he nodded in agreement. "I came to the same conclusion myself not long ago. The problem however, is that we still have no idea where 'that place' is located. There are hundreds of planets they could be on out in the Outer Rim."

Gin looked at a star map on one of the view screens. The smile on his face grew bigger. "There _are _a lot of planets in the outer rim, but most of them are sparsely populated and bringing in a Jedi or two would create big news all over, no matter where they went. Plus, I think that whoever is behind this would want to get rid of them in a place where they feel comfortable and have a lot of resources. Therefore, the best place for them to go would be the most populated and illegal place in the entire system."

"Nar Shaddaa..." Sora whispered.

XXXXXXXXXX

A few days later, the the duo arrived on the Smuggler's Moon disguised as a pair of bounty hunters. The outfits worked out quite well, as many Weequay such as Sora were already bounty hunters to begin with and most people simply found Gin unnerving. Initially, Tholme had been skeptical of the chances of searching for their missing Jedi on Nar Shaddaa due to its large masses and unbelievably huge population density. After hearing Gin's arguments however, he had agreed with his assessment due to the planet's underworld connections and ties to the glitteryll trade. He also agreed that while its large amounts of people made it an ideal place to get rid of someone, it also made it the worst place, since information could be picked up by almost anyone on the street.

"We will split up and head to the local cantinas first to see what information we can dig up." The Jedi master ordered, "Remember to be subtle...and try not to kill anyone."

"Aww, this isn't gonna be any fun then." A saddened Gin mourned.

"We're not here to have fun. Remember our mission is to locate Master Vos and Padawan Secura. That is our main priority." Gin seemed to straighten up at this, as the master and student went their separate ways. Hours passed with no luck from either, despite visiting numerous cantinas. Eventually, Gin entered one with an Aqualish bartender wiping the front counter.

"Hey, what you doing here?" He said in an aggressive tone, "I no serve human kind. Get out now before my blaster meets your head."

"S'okay, I'm a friend." Gin commented as he waved his hand.

"It's okay you're a friend." The Aqualish repeated.

"I'm looking for information on a Kiffar and a Twilek. Know anything?" he asked.

"I don't know anything about a Twilek, but there was a big bounty posted on a Kiffar around here a few days back." The alien answered in a drowsy voice.

"Really, who posted it?" Gin asked inquisitively.

"No one knows since the source was unanimous. It doesn't matter now though. The kiffar apparently left with Villie three days ago."

"Who's Villie?"

"He's-"the bartender started before being interrupted from noise at the entrance.

"Ponda! What are you doing and who is the kid?" A Nikto, surrounded by several alien thugs, asked angrily.

"What-, I-, that kid's a Jedi!" He yelled out, the trance broken. "He's looking for the Kiffar! Take him out!"

The gang quickly proceeded to surround the lone grinning Jedi who seemed to be watching them with amusement.

"Come quietly boy, and we might go easy on you." The Nikto threatened.

"Oh dear, there's so many of you and only one of me." Gin stated in mock fear, "Well, Master Bulq did say to_ try _and not kill anyone and I did try." Before the thugs knew what was happening, a silver blur was upon. In a few swift strikes, several cried out in pain at the loss of various limbs, while others, who decided they would prefer to live, made a break for the exit. The Nikto and the others held their ground however, firing their blasters at Gin who deflected them back with ease. Then, reaching out with his hand he used the force to pull the blasters from their grips, after which he released a massive force wave throwing the thugs against the wall unconscious.

Gin then turned to the Aqualish who was attempting to make a run for the cantina's back door, only to find himself running in the air moments later. "May I please have all the information you have on the Kiffar bounty?" Gin asked politely.

"Su-Sure," the bartender answered, pulling a holocard out of his pocket. "Just don't kill me!" he said frantically as he hit the ground and hightailed it for the back door.

"Well, you certainly made a mess of things here." A new voice said from behind Gin. "I figured it would be a good idea to check on how you were doing on your search and look what I find." A solemn Master Bulq observed, scanning the area. "I thought I said to not kill anyone."

"You said _try _not to." Gin relied with a smile. "And I didn't even kill them all this time." He pointed out, kicking the knocked out Nikto in the head.

"Oww.." he said in pain waking up.

Sora turned to Gin, "Judging from your expression, I'm going to assume you were successful on your quest for information."

"Yep, just one more thing." The boy said as he walked over to the Nikto. "Hey, I need to know where I can find 'Villie'. You wouldn't happen to know that would you?"

"I ain't telling you nothing." The Nikto spat back. In response, Gin placed his now unlit lightsaber hilt directly against the Nikto's skull.

"I'll ask one more time. Where is 'Villie'?"

"He's-he's supposed to have gone to meet with Fortuna who's on Tatooine right now!" the Nikto stuttered in fear. "Please that's all I know, I swear!"

"Let him go Gin. We have what we came here for. It's time we took our leave of this...planet." Sora informed him, sounding a bit disgusted as he walked out of the cantina.

"'Kay." Gin said as he followed after, leaving a now terrified Nikto.

XXXXXXXXXX

One day later, Sora and Gin now arrived on the planet farthest from the bright center of the universe. They had decided to forgo their bounty hunter outfits in favor of their Jedi robes, wanting to make an impression when they entered Jabba's palace. Renting a speeder from a local shop, they traveled across the desert until the large structure came into view. Two Gammorean guards stood in place outside the palace entrance to prevent any unwelcome guests from entering.

"We are here to speak with Jabba. You will let us pass." Sora told them using a Jedi mind trick. The weak-minded guards quickly stepped aside as the two walked inside. Traveling down the hall, they passed various sorts of creatures and aliens until they arrived at Jabba's throne room itself. The huge slug-like alien sat on his throne eating small, tiny, insect like creatures while watching various dancing women for entertainment as the two Jedi approached him.

Jabba barked an order to the protocol droid standing next to him. "The mighty Jabba wishes to know who you are and why you have entered his throne room without permission." The scared sounding droid translated.

"I am Master Sora Bulq of the Jedi Order and this is my padawan Gin Ichimaru. We are here on Council business to investigate the glitteryll trade plaguing the galaxy." Sora greeted respectfully. "I know that the Mighty Jabba is wise and that this activity has hurt your...business as well. We therefore came here to see if in your great wisdom you had any information you could spare."

Jabba laughed and then spoke again to the droid who translated once more. "My master is pleased that the Jedi think so well of him. The glitteryll trade has drastically lowered our total profits for the last few months and he would be happy to assist you in any way possible."

"Excellent," Master Bulq said happily, "We actually came here hoping to locate one of your subordinates, Bib Fortuna. He may have information regarding the location of an individual we are currently searching for. A certain Vilmarh Grahrk."

Jabba spoke again through the droid, "Fortuna is currently out on business for Lord Jabba, but that is no problem as my master already has the information you seek." The droid walked forward and handed Sora a navichip. "Here is a location on Ryloth where you will find both the source of the glitteryll trade as well as Vilmarh Grahrk. If he is not there when you immediately arrive, he will do so sooner or later."

"I thank you Lord Jabba for your great generosity in providing us with this information." Sora thanked, bowing graciously. "But if I may ask, why have you not moved against these individuals if you already knew where they can be found?"

Jabba grumbled angrily to his machine, "This goes higher than either you or me Jedi. I have not moved against them because to do so would be potentially disastrous for both myself and my associates. I wish you both luck on your mission in the hopes that it will be profitable for all."

"I thank you again Lord Jabba for everything. The Jedi will not forget this." He bowed once more before Gin and himself walked out of the area.

As they left Gin turned to his master, "My, my I never knew you could be such a sweet-talker Master. Especially to a Hutt."

"It was not the most pleasant experience." Sora grumbled, "But we're even closer to unraveling this mystery then before. I didn't sense any deceit in Jabba so I believe the location to be legitimate."

"Well then, Ryloth it is." Gin said with a smile.

XXXXXXXXXX

After another day of traveling, the duo landed on Ryloth nearby the location Jabba had given them. The location was in fact an estate coincidentally owned by Aayla's uncle, Pol Secura. Both Jedi were currently outside the building viewing it with a pair of macrobinoculars from a rocky outcropping.

"It ain't that heavily guarded, so he must be pretty cocky about not getting caught." Gin observed from his viewing.

"However, it's entirely possible that-" Sora paused mid sentence as a disturbance in the force echoed from inside. "Do you sense that Gin?"

"Yep, looks like it's time for us to go to work." Gin replied jumping down and running toward the estate. Fighting their way through with minimal effort, they nearly collided with Quinlan and the Devaronian beside him.

"Quinlan!" Sora exclaimed with a happy, "We finally found you!" His words did not seem to register to the Kiffar however, as a confused look came across his face.

"Who are you two? Are you Jedi also?" he said, much to their confusion.

"Did ya take one too many blasters to the head?" Gin asked.

"Nope," the Devaronian answered, "Glitteryll. Wiped mind clean."

"I'm assuming you're Vilmarh Grahrk?" Sora asked the Devaronian, who responded with a grin and nod. "Good, you're going to tell us everything that has happened. Now."

XXXXXXXXXX

As Villie told his tale, Sora and Gin learned of how Quinlan and Aayla had been drugged with glitteryll on Ryloth wiping both their memories. Aayla had been taken as dancer in her uncle's estate, while Quinlan had been dragged to Nar Shaddaa to be killed off. However, he had managed to survive and with Villie's help, tracked down both Secura and Aayla again. In a rage at everything the Twilek had done however, Quinlan had tortured him with force lightning causing him to reveal the source of the glitteryll trade, the corrupt senator of Ryloth Chom Frey Kaa. Quinlan's actions caused Aayla to lash out with her force powers however, killing Pol and almost Quinlan as well, creating the disturbance they had felt outside. She had run off and now no one had any idea of where she might be.

After hearing the story, Sora immediately decided upon their course of action. "I will inform the council of what has happened on the ship while we travel to Coruscant in the process. We cannot waste any time." As Quinlan went with Villie to his ship, the _Inferno_, Sora turned to leave, only to find Gin still standing in the same place as before. "What are you doing Gin? It's time for us to go."

"What about Aayla?" Gin asked with a frown.

"We cannot worry about her at the moment. If we do not go after Kaa now, he might get wind of what has happened and take steps to prevent his arrest. We cannot let that happen padawan." Saying no more, the Weequay left and a few minutes later a grim Gin followed after him.

XXXXXXXXXX

A few days later on Coruscant, it was all over. Kaa had been arrested by the Jedi and Villie with some minor difficulty and the glitteryl trade for the most part had been stopped. Quinlan had agreed to being retrained by the Jedi but only on one condition: that Aayla be found and given it as well. Due to their success in finding Vos, the council had assigned Sora and Gin once more to head the search for Aayla. But as months passed, they continued to have no luck in their search and eventually the two were called off the assignment altogether.

Unbeknownst to any of the Jedi however, all of these events had been a test engineered by one individual to try and bring Vos to the dark side. Darth Sidious had originally orchestrated it as a test solely for him, but Ichimaru had impressed him once more and his master as well. _'Yes,' _he thought to himself, _'Everything is falling into place.'_

XXXXXXXXXX

One year later...

"Remind me why we're here again master." Gin complained to Sora.

A year had passed since the events of the glitteryyl scandal and Quinlan's retraining began. He had progressed well so far, but the Council was still cautious about sending him out on his own, and so they had sent Master Tholme to watch over him on a mission to Kiffex, with Sora and Gin as backup.

"I already told you. We're here to help make sure nothing gets out of hand." Bulq scolded. Normally, the Council would not send more than one Master for a single mission due to the Jedi being spread thin across the galaxy. A disturbance in the force had been felt by Kiffex's Jedi watchman Tr'a Saa however, causing them to send extra forces just in case something went wrong while Vos was still recovering.

"Yeah, yeah I know. It's just so _boring_." Gin reiterated. Sora knew this wasn't the cause of his student's complaining however. Ever since the Council had called them off the search for Aayla, Gin had made it a policy of consisting about every mission the Council gave them. Sora had let it go though, as he knew this was simply Gin's way of coping with the loss of his best friend.

Quinlan had originally been called to Kiffex by his great aunt, Tinté Vos, to investigate a break-in and slaughter at one of the planet's security compounds. Tholme, Sora, and Gin had arrived shortly after he did, only to find out that Quinlan had been attacked by a group of Anzati, a vampire-like race of aliens, which were quickly dispatched by the Jedi. After the fight, they had discovered their favorite Devaronian Villie hiding nearby, who was quickly beat up by Vos for having killed several Jedi a few years ago. Villie revealed he had been smuggling blasters on Kiffex and was arrested by Kiffar authorities, but had managed to escape imprisonment. He then led them to his nearby settlement in hopes of getting a trip off world with them.

It was currently early in the morning and the group had decided to head to the local Black Hole cantina for a break and possible information. As they entered and sat down, they noticed an Aqualish sitting nearby who was angrily yelling at a chef. "What is this trash? Do you know who I am? I'm Gorto Zaga! Chief of the entire town of Deadend! Guards seize this imbecile and make sure he suffers!"

"If you do not like my food, you merely need say so." The chef, an elderly Veknoid, replied calmly. "I have no desire for conflict, but I must warn you, I'm more dangerous then I look."

Quinlan immediately got up, his hand moving to his lightsaber, only to be stopped by Tholme. "Master, what are you doing? That man over there needs our help!" he protested.

"That man is more than capable of taking care of himself. I should know, he's a Jedi Master and friend of mine named Zao." Tholme informed him. As if on que, the Veknoid lit the cane he was carrying, which was in fact his lightsaber.

Villie groaned, "Of course, there has to be Jedi in here too. Jedi here, Jedi there, is there no end to you people?"

"Nope!" Gin answered, "There's pretty much no end to us!"

As Zao easily began dispatching the guards, the Jedi all sensed a large amount of lifeforms outside the cantina. "Do you all feel that?" Sora asked the group, who all nodded except for Villie who had no clue what was going on. "We'd better head outside."

The group raced outside and to their shock, found what was a small army of feral Anzati surrounding the cantina. Even more shocking though, was who was leading them at the front. Aayla stood with her lightsaber lit, a mad look in her eyes as darkness surrounded her mind.

Tholme, taking command of the situation while everyone else was still stunned, began issuing orders. "Sora, Villie! Get back into the cantina and make sure no one gets hurt!" he yelled, seeing several Anzati entering from behind their position. Sora nodded, and grabbing a protesting Villie, headed back inside the establishment. "Quinlan, Gin! You're with me!" With a force leap, the Jedi Master then plunged into the charging masses, his lightsaber a green blur in their midst.

As the three fought against huge odds, Aayla rushed to attack Quinlan only to be blocked by Gin. "Out of my way boy!" she snarled, her face twisted with rage.

"Boy?" Gin replied with a surprised look. "Considering I'm older than you are, I'm not entirely sure ya have the right to call me that." Gin's lightsaber then became a blur, forcing a surprised Aayla back from her quarry. Seeing she could not currently win this duel, the Twilek jumped onto the cantina roof only to be immediately followed by Gin.

The two circled each other on the top as Aayla began yelling angrily at her former friend. "How dare you interfere with my revenge! For this I will kill you along with Vos!" A large creature then rose up next to her from the ground. "But not yet." She murmured hopping on it as the beast began flying away.

"Sorry, Aayla but I won't be lettin' ya get away that easily this time." Gin said to himself. With a running start, the padawan then leapt from the rooftop and onto a nearby tree, quickly following after her.

XXXXXXXXXX

Eventually, Aayla arrived at fortress and after landing her mount walked inside. The halls were covered in green webbing with numerous individuals trapped inside of it, screaming out for help. Ignoring it, Aayla walked until she arrived at the inner sanctum where her Master Volfe Karkko stood. Karkko, the man who had promised her everything she'd dreamed of. After wittnessing Vos kill her uncle on Ryloth, Aayla had wandered the galaxy aimlessly until she had come to Kiffex. There, she had found Master Karkko, a great Jedi Master who had been imprisoned by them for over a millennia due to his constant craving to feed on the 'soup' of individuals (Basically it's the vampire equivalent of sucking you're blood. The difference is that Anzati actually suck out your brains instead and feed on you're essence or 'soup'. Yeah, freaky). In exchange for releasing him from his prison, Master Karkko had promised her the revenge she desired against Vos and that she would also be his queen after he exacted his revenge on the Jedi.

"So, I see you have returned Aayla. You have lured the Jedi here as planned?" Karkko asked.

"Yes, master. They should be here shortly." She answered while kneeling on one knee.

"Excellent, I look forward to consuming their soup." Karkko said with a ravenous look in his eye. "For so long the Jedi denied me my prey, but no longer! I can almost not contain myself with them so close!"

"If you wish master, you may have my soup to satisfy yourself until the Jedi arrive." Aayla offered.

Karkko nearly accepted, but managed to restrain himself, "No, my apprentice you need not offer yourself. The Jedi will be here soon and-" He paused, and then a long smile crept across his face. "It appears you have drawn forth prey sooner than expected."

"Master what do you-" Aayla began, stopping as she heard footsteps approaching from behind. She turned to see the smiling, silver haired boy she had encountered earlier enter the sanctum. She had assumed it was coincidence at the roof, but she could now not deny there was something familiar about him. _'Who exactly is he? _She wondered.

"Sooooo," the boy said casually, "I assume you're the evil mastermind behind everything right?"

Karkko laughed, "You're either extremely brave or foolish to come here alone. But I will enjoy feeding on you regardless of which it is." He stepped forward only to be blocked by Aayla.

"Master, let me handle him." Aayla requested as her rage built, "I have a score to settle with this one." Happy at his apprentice's anger, the Dark Jedi Master stepped aside.

"Very well, just be sure to leave some of him for me my Queen." He ordered with a devious look in his eye.

"Queen? Ewwwwwwww!" the silver haired Jedi said in a wierded out voice, "Aayla you can do _way _better than him. Plus, I personally think he's a bit too old for ya." Lighting her lightsaber, the young Twilek charged forward toward her opponent, rage empowering her strikes. To her surprise however, he simply sidestepped out of the way, almost as if predicting her attack. She tried again with an overhand strike, only to find his blade already there to block it. The cycle continued, with every single one of her blows blocked or dodged by him no matter what strategy she tried. _'How-how_ _is he doing this?'_ she thought to herself, _'Is it some sort of force power?' _Then to her surprise, he deactivated his lightsaber. _'Now what is he going to do?' _she wondered.

"You know Aayla, I don't feel like fightin' with ya anymore." He told her as he turned and started walking away. "I mean I've already beaten you 584 times, so doing it once more ain't gonna change anything."

"Get real!" Aayla found herself yelling, "You know I almost won 365 times!" Suddenly, Aayla dropped to her knees on the ground, her hand clutched to her forehead. _'What was that? Why did I say those things?'_she thought, as memories began pouring into her head. Memories of Master Yoda, Quinlan, Xiann and..."Gin?" she asked.

"Welcome back." He greeted, happy to see his best friend back to normal.

"Gin where am I? What am I-AHHHHHHHH!" Aayla screamed as she was electrocuted by force lightning and fell unconscious. Gin quickly rushed over to check on her, while frowning at the source of the lightning.

"I do not tolerate traitors." Karkko said darkly, "You had the opportunity to become my apprentice, my queen, but now you will suffer the fate of the Jedi as well. Death."

"Ya shouldn't have done that ya know." Gin told Karkko in an equally dark tone.

"Oh, and why is that Jedi?" He sneered.

"'Cuz now, you're gonna die." Gin answered, as his two blue eyes fully opened.

XXXXXXXXXX

Meanwhile, Masters Tholme, Bulq, and Zao had arrived along with Quinlan and Villie outside the fortress. They had also been joined by T'ra Saa, Kiffex's Jedi Watchmen, and were currently all doing battle with Karkko's Anzati minions. As they were fighting however, Tholme sensed a ripple in the force coming from inside the structure. "Do you feel that? What is it? Some new trick by Karkko?" he asked turning to his companions, who had formed a circle of spinning lightsabers against their assailants.

A small smile appeared on Sora's face. "It's not Karkko. It's Gin. Apparently, he's now decided to take this matter seriously."

"Seriously? What do you mean?" T'ra Saa questioned.

"Up to this point, none of you have ever actually seen Gin let loose with his full power." Sora explained, "He normally prefers to play around and not use them to their full extent because in most situations he usually does not need to do so. It's actually quite rare for him to do this. I have only seen him do so on three occasions prior to this one."

"But what do you think could be going on in there to make him do this?" Quinlan questioned, as he cut down an attacking Anzati.

"I'm going to assume he's fighting Karkko, and that he did something to set Gin off in the process." Sora answered.

"By himself?" A surprised Zao said. "We should hurry to give him support."

"Personally, I don't think that will be necessary Zao." Sora replied, "Oh yes, I think our dark Jedi will be in for quite the surprise.

XXXXXXXXXXX

Back inside, Karkko stood in amazement at the sheer amount of force energy the boy was exerting. _'To think that he could have kept so much of it hidden.'_ He thought to himself. _'I may have underestimated him. If I could convince him to join me, my armies would be unstoppable! _Igniting his lightsaber, he charged forward bringing his to clash against Gin's short silver one. Fighting across the room, he struck up and down with masterful strokes, only for them to be blocked with precision by the boy. _'Excellent. His skill with the lightsaber is exemplarily as well. Time to test his reflexes.'_

Jumping back from the duel, he summoned his dark force powers of illusion to attack his opponents mind. With this technique he would appear to vanish in mid-air to his victim, who would then be simultaneously attacked by hundreds of imaginary beasts. All this time the dark Jedi would move to attack from behind while his enemy's mind was focused elsewhere. To his surprise and delight however, he found his strike once more blocked by the Jedi. _'Spectacular! He saw through my illusion as well and even had the foresight to recognize I would attack from behind! He truly is worthy of standing at my side.'_

Standing across from him now, he made his offer. "You have shown yourself to be quite talented boy. Obviously, the Jedi taught you well. But how would you like to take it even further, learn abilities and techniques you never even dreamed of! Join me and I will teach them to you, and together we will rule the galaxy!"

"Sorry," the boy replied, "But I never would feel that comfortable working under a guy who could suck out my brains at any moment ya know? Plus, considering what ya did to my friend over there, ya don't seem like a very endearing guy to begin with."

"Do you have any idea who I am child?" Karkko asked angrily at the rejection of his offer, "I am Volfe Karkko! I have lived for over a thousand years, have powers you could never learn or obtain, and have survived even a fight with the entire Jedi Council!" he yelled. "You do not have any possible chance of surviving against me!"

Gin whistled in response, "Wow, I just assumed you were the average 50ish year old pervert, but you're actually a 1000 year old one. Wow grandpa, just the _idea_ of ya hitting on a 16 year old. Creepy, creepy, creepy."

Karkko face twisted with rage and anger at Gin's insults. "How dare you! I gave you an opportunity to be a partner in my new galactic order, but I can see now that I was mistaken. Abandon you're arrogance human, for you are about to leave this world PERMANENTLY!" he roared, while at the same time raising his hands above his head. Lightning began to gather, first as a spark, and then a small current, until finally a gigantic storm of force lightning rested above the dark Jedi. "This is the end Jedi! Prepare yourself for oblivion!" he screamed, as he brought the lighting down full force on Gin. But to Karkko's surprise once more, the boy did not die filled with lighting.

He stared in shock, as his lightsaber spun around him moving so quickly that it appeared to be almost ten at once. The moving blade acted as a conduit, moving the lightning onward, not only protecting him, but sending it directly back to its source. Karkko screamed out in pain as the lightning struck him and coursed through his body, hurting more than anything he had previously experienced. It was only through his sheer fury at the boy for turning his attack against him that he managed to survive the lightning's brutal power. He stood there smoking, his flesh still crying out in agony.

"Wow, ya even managed to survive all that." Gin congratulated, "You're tougher than I thought."

Hatred festered in the Anzati as he stared down at this Jedi, this child who had put him in this weakened state, who had turned his apprentice against him, who had ruined all his plans! Using nothing but sheer rage, he lifted his hands to bring the stalactites hanging from the ceiling down as missiles against his foe. It was to no avail though, as the boy simply danced or dodged out of the way of the objects paths.

'_How is this happening? I am Volfe Karkko, a master of the darkside and yet I am being beaten by this...child! __He must have some weakness, but what?' _A smile suddenly came across his face then, as he berated himself for not having thought of this plan earlier. Calling forth even more stalactites, he again aimed to use them as missles, but this time they were not aimed at Gin. Instead, he aimed them at the unconscious Aayla lying nearby. Alarmed, Gin grabbed her body with the force, pulling her away from the attack only to see that one stalactite would not miss. Doing the only thing he could, the padawan threw himself in its path, as it hit his saber arm with a sickening crunch causing it to fall limply at his side.

Taking advantage of the new opening, Karkko gripped the young Jedi in the force and proceeded to slam him repeatedly against the sanctum walls before tossing him completely through one. Struggling to stay in the fight, Gin managed to get up and swap his lightsaber to his good arm as Karkko renewed his assault on him. He drove Gin back, forcing him on the defensive while not giving him any chance to counterattack. Since he was using only one arm, the power behind Gin's parries were further weakened as Karkko's lightsaber crashed into it again and again. Then, with a powerful force push he hurled Gin into a nearby corner a few feet away from him. Gin managed to struggle to his feet once more, although it was obvious he couldn't last much longer.

"I've finally realized a flaw of yours Jedi," Karkko sneered evilly, "You may be skilled in close quarter combat, but you're lightsaber is not. It's small size puts you at a distinct disadvantage and forces you to adjust your swordplay to fight against other opponents larger weapons. With only one arm, you're practically defenseless. But enough talk, it's time for you to die. You can be sure though, that I will enjoy your soup first." Raising his own saber above his head, he charged forward planning to end the duel then and there.

But what Volfe Karkko did not notice however, was the grin that had once more crept across Gin's face. It was at that moment that the fight between the two ended, as the Dark Jedi Master felt a stabbing pain where his heart was. He looked down to see embedded in his chest a lightsaber extended several feet from Gin's position. "But...how?" he whispered as he felt his vision start to darken.

"Ya were wrong about my lightsaber." Gin answered matter-of-factly, "It's actually designed specifically for that one thing. Combat. See, most Jedi use short lightsabers like this as side weapons to help increase their main one's attacks. I originally created mine to be short, so that opponents like you would let their guard down when fighting me due to it's length. But to take it even further, I added a focusing crystal to make it a dual-phase lightsaber which actually _increases_ the size of it far beyond that of a normal one, throwing them off completely. The more focusing crystals I add to it, the longer it will get in the future." He finished.

'_He planned this from the start.' _He realized as he fell to the ground, _'He knew he couldn't defeat me directly, so he outsmarted me instead. I never stood a chance...' _The fallen Jedi then let the blackness take him over completely as his eyes finally closed, never to open again.

XXXXXXXXXX

One week later, the ordeal that had begun one year ago had finally come to an end. The Jedi and Villie had quickly made their way into the fortress after Gin's killing of Karkko. The remaining Anzati forces had scattered shortly thereafter with his hold on them broken. Though Aayla had been knocked out, she had woken up after the battle with no apparent injuries. The same couldn't be said of Gin however. He had been severely injured from his duel and had needed several days of bacta treatment on Coruscant to recover fully. After it was complete, he had been called to see the Jedi Council along with his Master.

"Performed well you did on Kiffex, Gin Ichimaru." Yoda said beginning the conversation.

"More so than any of us ever expected." Mace continued, "Defeating someone of Karkko's status hasn't been done since Master Kenoni defeated the Sith on Naboo. Not only that, but you also helped to bring padawan Secura back to the light, saving her from a perilous road. It required trials of courage, skill, and spirit and that is why the Council has decided you're training to be at an end."

"A padawan you are no longer," Yoda finished, "A Jedi knight you now are Gin Ichimaru."

XXXXXXXXXX

After Gin's knighting ceremony was completed later on, Master Bulq took his former apprentice aside for one last discussion. "Gin, as of now you are no longer my student. I have taught you everything you need to know and my last piece of advice to you is this: Light and Dark are merely directions we take with the force. Ultimately, you must decide what is right and wrong in the paths you take in the future. But most of all, remember who you are and hold true to that above all else." The Weequay finished.

Gin seemed to take his old master's words in for a minute before smiling and turning to walk off. "I'll be sure to keep that in mind. Bye, bye Master Bulq!" he said, bidding his Master farewell as he left to go and see a certain someone.

XXXXXXXXXX

Meanwhile, Masters Yoda, Windu, and Rancisis remained in the Council Room to discuss the matter with Karkko further. "More and more the dark side makes itself known in the galaxy." Master Yoda meditated, his eyes closed. "First on Naboo, and now Kiffex as well."

"It can't simply be coincidence." Mace agreed, "The growing unrest in the Senate, the decline of the Jedi, and now dark force users themselves coming forward."

"It can only be the Sith." Rancisis surmised, "While I would call Karkko a dark Jedi, the Zabrak Obi-Wan encountered had no mention of ever being trained by anyone in the Order. Thus, I can only conclude him to have been a Sith."

Mace nodded. "We have already agreed on that matter Oppo, but the question remains of whether or not he was the apprentice or the master. Now more than ever I think the Chosen One will be needed in the times to come."

Yoda frowned, his eyes still closed. "But who he will be, remains to still be seen it does. Certain Qui-Gon was that he had found the Chosen One in Skywalker. But disagree you still do with his belief, do you not Master Rancisis?"

"Qui-Gon was a wise Jedi, but I cannot hold true with his judgement in this matter. Skywalker is a loose cannon and while he may be gifted, he has no control over his emotions or discipline to guide his path." The Thisspiasian Jedi stated, "Gin however, has shown himself to be a master of these qualities and his results speak for themselves do they not? I still hold to my belief that he will be the Chosen One, not Skywalker."

"Even so, many talented Jedi before them have come far, only to fall at the end." Yoda reminded him, "Wait we will, and see what the future will hold for us all."

XXXXXXXXXX

Aayla sat in her quarters, still recovering from the effects of her glitteryll poisoning even though her memories were slowly returning. Master Koon had agreed to help her in regaining them fully, while Master Tholme had agreed to train her since Quinlan no longer felt he was able to. She still couldn't fully grasp everything that had happened. How she had fallen to the darkside and in the process tried to kill both her master and best friend. How she had been deceived by Karkko and only been brought back by Gin's clever taping into her subconscious. How she had been knocked out by the dark Jedi and only saved by Gin who had been severely injured in the process. She still couldn't believe how far he'd gone to save her...

"Hey! How are ya doin'?" A voice asked, entering her room.

"Fine, Gin. Everything is going to be fine." She answered in a relieved voice. "Is it true the Council promoted you to Jedi knight?"

"Yep!" Gin replied, "I ain't a padawan anymore! Nothing stoppin' me from roaming the galaxy and seeing everything it has to offer!"

"So..., you're leaving the Temple?"

"Yep, I plan on leavin' in a few days."

"In that case...I want you to have this." Aayla said going over to get something. She returned a moment later with the Heart of Fire crystal Quinlan had given her for her thirteenth birthday.

"What-, no ya don't have to give me that." A surprised Gin refused.

"Please, take it. I-I want you to have it, so that a piece of me can always be with you." She requested, shoving it into his hands.

Gin stared at the red object in his hand for a moment before turning back to his friend. "Don't worry I'll take good care of it!" he said with a mock salute. He then gave Aayla a strange, "Uh, why are you still holding my hand?"

The Twilek blushed, quickly withdrawing her touch, "I'm so sorry! I just-I-" Suddenly Gin leaned forward and before Aayla knew it their lips were touching. She felt his arms wrap around her and for a moment, she felt warm and at peace. It was as if all the problems in the galaxy had been temporarily fixed just for a minute. Quickly however, she realized what exactly it was she was doing and pushed herself away. "Gin, we-we can't do this! I'm sorry, but I-I have to go!" She stammered as she ran outside her room into the halls, leaving her friend alone.

XXXXXXXXXX

A/N: Allright, enough with the backstory! The Clone Wars begin next time!

**Next Chapter: Allegiances Revealed! Battleground Geonosis!**


	5. Chapter 4: Allegiances Revealed!

**Grinnin' Jedi**

A/N: All right! We finally get to the Wars! I'll be trying to stick to the general timeline for what battles happen according to Wookieepedia, although I may adjust it from time to time to help keep the story interesting.

A/N: Okay, so I just watched the last episode of The Clone Wars recently and I have to say I was really disappointed with it. I mean, Anakin loses his lightsaber against the bounty hunters and he's automatically helpless, but Ahsoka loses hers and she suddenly can beat up a bunch of Mandalorian guards like Jackie Chan. Seriously? I really wish Gin was actually part of the show, because I am slowly losing faith in it.

Remember to Review!

**Chapter 4: ****Allegiances Revealed! Battleground Geonosis!**

8 years later...

A fully grown Aayla Secura sat in the Temple Library, researching information on the frequently bold attempts of Count Dooku's Confederation at getting Republic worlds to secede to their growing cause. The fact that Dooku, a respected former Jedi, had been spearheading their efforts in recent years had caused an uproar in the Senate and caused many there to question the Jedi's loyalty to the Republic itself. Due to these problems, the Council had ordered Masters Tholme and Vos, along with herself, to conduct surveillance and research on Separatist movements not only to help keep the peace within the galaxy, but also as a show of continued support for the increasingly stagnating Republic. They had also recently dispatched Master Kenobi and his padawan to investigate the matter as well, after what was believed to have been a Separatist assassination attempt on Senator Padme Amidala of Naboo.

A year after the incident with Karkko and her apprenticeship under Tholme, Aayla had gone with him on another mission to Ryloth, this time to investigate growing problems between the ruling Twilek clans there. She had gone undercover only to discover that Clan Fenn was plotting to kidnap the heir to her own clan, Nat Secura. After informing Tholme on her comlink, her Master had rushed to protect the young heir only to be injured by his Morgukai assailants while defending the boy's life. The two kidnappers took the young Secura and escaped with their partner, who coincidentally turned out to be none other then Vilmarh Grahrk, on his ship the _Inferno_. Despite being hurt however, Master Tholme had managed to stowaway on the vessel, only to be discovered and forced to surrender after the kidnappers had threatened to kill Nat.

Using the force, Aayla had been guided to Ord Mantell where she traveled to the junkyard that she had encountered Gin so many years ago. Instead of finding Gin however, she had encountered her former Master Quinlan, who had agreed to help her after telling of Tholme's predicament. Together, they managed to track him down (after interrogating some information from a belligerent Villie), rescue the Secura heir, and defeat their captors. For their efforts, Aayla had been granted the rank of Knight, and Vos the rank of Master.

The following years had not been happy ones however. Many of the hardliner Jedi had been upset with both herself and Gin's promotion to knighthood, stating it had been too early and too soon for both of them. While the majority had disagreed, there had been an informal agreement afterward not to promote any more new Jedi Knights until they were far older. But as the Jedi became more and more spread thin, the Order had found itself with less and less Jedi to keep the peace, hence the reason why only she, Tholme, and Quinlan had been assigned to the task of the Jedi Spynet.

Aayla groaned in frustration as she placed her head down on the desk she was working at. While she was quite good at stealth and surveillance, with her skills only increasing under Tholme, it got so _boring _sometimes that the Twilek wished she could go back to the days of non-stop action missions.

"Well, well. It looks like someone's having a bit of a boring day, eh Izuru?" a voice from behind her asked.

"Well...she doesn't really look that excited. I suppose observing the Spynet could be a bit boring from time to time." Another, younger voice, agreed with the former.

A smile forming on her lips, Aayla turned around to be greeted by her old friend along with his apprentice. "Gin, Izuru, I didn't think you'd be back until next week. Don't tell me you completed your mission already?"

"Yep," was her friend's reply. "After we took out their leader, those pirates surrendered to us no problem. It's too bad, I was really looking forward to some more action this time around." Gin mourned in a sad tone.

Aayla rolled her eyes. "Considering most Jedi are trying to _avoid _any additional conflict, shouldn't you count yourself lucky that you didn't for once?" she asked.

"Are you insinuating that _I _of all people would promote a conflict when the dear old Republic needs us more than ever? I thought ya knew me better than that by now Aayla." Gin replied, trying to sound hurt.

During his time away from the Temple, Gin had acquired something of a 'legendary' status in the galaxy. While it was mostly unknown as to what he specifically did the majority of the time he was gone, it was known that he had acquired quite a reputation in certain parts of the galaxy. In Mandalorian space for example, he had acquired the nickname "The Hundred Sheather" after defeating a hundred mercenaries of the same name on Concord Dawn. The name had stuck with him ever since, and as such many were surprised when he returned to the Temple shortly afterword. It was even being rumored that he was already being considered for Master status.

"Well...you have had a tendency to be a bit...eccentric on certain occasions Master." Gin's padawan said, agreeing with Aayla assessment.

Gin frowned, pretending to look sad. "Awww, now you've gone and turned Izuru against me too! The beautiful ones are always the meanest!" he cried.

"Personally, I still can't believe you actually decided to take up a padawan." Aayla said, continuing to reminisce.

About two years after he had returned, Gin had surprised quite a few people yet again by agreeing to take a padawan under his watch. Izuru Kira was the chosen individual and the two could not have been a more unlikely pair for master and apprentice. Whereas Gin tended to be playful and enjoyed trouble, Izuru was serious and tried to strictly follow the Jedi code. Despite their differences however, the two had managed to boast a long list of completed missions in the three years that they had been together.

"Well, what's you're excuse?" Gin playfully shot back, "I'm surprised you haven't taken one yet just to get away from this place."

"Hey, that's not true! I-" Aayla began before being interrupted by a loud broadcast heard across the Temple.

"Would all available masters, knights, and padawans in the Temple please report to the Room of a Thousand Fountains immediately!" Master Windu's loud stern voice boomed.

Getting up from her seat, Aayla turned to Gin. "What do you think is going on?" she asked.

"Weeeeeeell," Gin answered with a smile, "My intuition tells me that right now, something really big is about to go down."

XXXXXXXXXX

Eventually, the three arrived at the designated area which was filled altogether with about 200 other Jedi. In the midst of them all, Gin spotted a certain Weequay standing towards the front of the group with a young human next to him.

"Hiya Master Bulq!" he greeted, waving his hand in a comic fashion.

The Jedi Master turned around to face them. "Gin, Aayla, it's good to see the two of you. I take it this is your padawan Gin?" he asked turning to Izuru.

"Yep," Gin confirmed, as he rustled his padawan's heir with his hand. "This here is Izuru Kira. He's managed to stick with me for three years now!"

"Three years?" Sora questioned Izuru who nodded in agreement, "That's an impressive record in itself." Sora replied.

"Ouch, that one hurt master!" Gin said clutching his heart, "I wasn't that bad was I?"

"I'm not even going to begin that conversation. By the way, I believe you have not yet been introduced to my newest padawan, Galdos Stouff." He said, indicating the young human boy standing next to him.

"It's a pleasure to meet you sir." He introduced, bowing politely.

"I bet ol' Bulqy tells you all about me and how great I was right?" Gin asked, making the boy look uncomfortable.

"Well-"

Before he could make any make any more comments, Master Windu proceeded to address the crowd. "My friends, I'm afraid I have not called you all here to give good news. In fact, it's quite the contrary. While investigating the assassination attempt on Senator Amidala, Master Kenobi traveled to Geonosis only to be captured by the Separatist forces. To make matters worse, his padawan who was originally supposed to be guarding the Senator traveled to Geonosis as well, resulting in both his and her capture also. Now they are all slated to be executed unless we intervene to stop them. I am asking now that all capable Jedi travel with me to stop this travesty of justice from occurring."

A stunned silence filled the room. One master spoke up, "What about the younglings?"

"The youngling will be taken care of by Masters Drallig and Jocasta Nu who will watch over them along with the Temple Security Forces. If there are any other questions, please make them known now." When no one else answered, Mace continued, "Everyone hurry to your transports, we're moving out."

XXXXXXXXXX

A few hours later, the strike force had arrived at Geonosis in record time. After landing sites had been cleared of enemy forces, the group set down and hurried over to the arena where their captive allies were being held. Mace quickly assigned them to surround the arena at different points from which they would then enter. At the same time, Windu would go and confront Dooku directly which would be the signal for the Jedi to make their move.

Forming one team, Sora, Gin, Aayla, Izuru and Galdos entered into the Northwest corner of the arena. Cutting their way through the Geonosian guards with ease, the group soon arrived at their destined location where they waited in the stands for their signal. Galdos was obviously nervous, turning to his master for support, "We-we aren't actually going to have to fight are we?" he asked in a scared voice.

"It's unlikely, but possible. The Geonosians aren't warriors, but they may still attempt to put up a fight if motivated enough." Sora answered in a calming tone.

"Quiet you guys! I'm trying to watch the fight!" Gin protested as he tried to get a better look at the gladiatorial battle in the arena from his seat.

"Umm, master? I don't think we came here to be spectators." Izuru politely pointed out.

"All of you shut up!" Aayla hissed, "Master Windu just approached Dooku!" They all watched as Mace lit his lightsaber. With the signal given, all the Jedi stepped forward lighting their own. Upon seeing that reinforcements had arrived, the crowds in the stand quickly dispersed. However, they soon saw that the Geonosians would not be their primary problem. As Mace was forced down from the podium with blaster fire, swarms of battle droids quickly began pouring into the arena.

"Looks like this is gonna be fun after all." Gin commented before jumping down into the chaotic battleground as his team followed after. As the battle began, he glanced back toward his padawan. "Oh, and Izuru? I'd suggest you get behind me for this fight, unless you feel like dying." The boy gulped in response.

BONK!

"Oww! What was that for?" A now bruised Gin asked, after being hit on the head with a lightsaber pommel.

"For scaring him!" She said pointing to a very nervous looking Izuru. "You shouldn't talk about dying to your padawan right before a battle begins!"

"I was just kidding!" He said with his trademark smile, before turning back to his apprentice. "Stick to your Soresu basics and ya should be fine Izuru!"

The conversation ended at that point as blaster fire quickly began raining down around them. Aayla found herself putting everything she had learned over the years to the test as she weaved in and out of the battle, destroying droids on every side while deflecting their shots back at them. Gin was a blur in their midst, his lightsaber seeming to be everywhere at once. Izuru also appeared to be handling himself well, relying on his Soresu basics as instructed, and staying close by his master just to be on the safe side. But even as she destroyed machine after machine, they just kept coming with no end in sight to their numbers. At the same time she could feel force presences disappearing all around her, filling her heart with anguish at the friends she was quickly losing.

Soon there were only about 30 Jedi in total remaining as the survivors formed a circle in the center of the Arena. Standing nearly shoulder to shoulder with Gin and Izuru, Aayla continued to fight on wondering if this would be how they finally met their end. Then all of a sudden, the blaster fire immediately stopped as the droids lowered their weapons for a moment. Looking up she saw Dooku begin to address the crowd. "Master Windu! You have fought gallantly, worthy of recognition in the archives of the Jedi Order. But now, it is finished. Surrender, and your lives will be spared." Looking around, the Twilek felt her heart tighten as she viewed the carnage surrounding her. It only got worse when she saw a hardened Sora Bulq standing over Galdo's limp body at his feet.

"We will not be hostages to be bartered Dooku!" Mace replied fiercely, rejecting the offer entirely.

"Then," Dooku continued in a sad tone, "I'm sorry old friend." At this remark, the droids leveled their blasters against the Jedi. Seeing this, Aayla thought back to her life before this moment and everything that had happened in it. Though there had been rough moments, it had been a good one and she wouldn't have had it any other way. Standing with her friends, she braced herself and prepared for the worst.

At that moment however, Padme pointed above at the sky. "Look!" she yelled. Turning her head above, Aayla saw to her shock several gunships bearing down upon them. Inside, there were white armored individuals and in the midst of them was Master Yoda himself. The calvary had arrived as it blasted away at the droids surrounding them. Forming a circle around the survivors, the Jedi each proceeded to hop onto one of the gunships as they pulled away from the arena.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Aayla felt herself temporarily relax as she realized she wouldn't be dying today. She then looked over to the gunship flying across from hers which contained Gin, Sora, and Izuru. Gin playfully waved at her, his smile helping to take away the chaos surrounding them all, almost making the Twilek feel like she was back home.

And then at the moment, Aayla felt her eyes widen in horror as the gunship carrying them was lit by flame and tumbled down, screeching into the rocky earth.

XXXXXXXXXX

A month passed before any word was received on the status of the three Jedi, leading many to assume beforehand that they were dead. It was therefore something of a surprise then, when Sora, Gin, and Izuru returned with an extremely weak Tholme to the Temple. It turned out that the Jedi had survived the crash of their gunship and been recruited by Tholme, who had just arrived after the battle ended, for a mission in tracking down Dooku to the planet Bakura. They had all agreed and together arrived on the world to confront the Sith Lord and bring him in. Everything from that point on however, went horribly wrong. The Jedi all ended up being defeated with Sora, Gin, and Izuru captured and Tholme left for dead. Despite this, the Jedi had managed to escape their imprisonment and rescue Tholme bringing him back to Coruscant for medical treatment.

The three had been hailed as heroes for their actions and for a time, morale was greatly boosted among the Jedi. But then, just as suddenly as they had arrived, the three disappeared once more leaving the Order in bewilderment as to where they had vanished to at such a critical time. Some again assumed they'd been killed off, presumably by CIS assassins, but most refuted these theories. The majority proved to be correct when three months after the war began, a call went up from Ruul...

XXXXXXXXXX

Sitting alone in the Council Room, Yoda and Mace watched quietly as Master Vos stepped in to give the report on the new events occurring at Ruul. Yoda nodded toward him, giving him the right to speak.

"As both of you already know," Quinlan began, "a meeting has been called from Ruul by Master Sora Bulq. He along with Gin Ichimaru have gathered a group of Jedi opposed to the war and wish to hold a conference concerning whether or not the Jedi should truly participate in it. They have agreed to invite a council member as well, but only on one condition."

"What is their condition?" Mace asked.

"Only one who can speak for the whole council should attend." Quinlan answered. "Specifically, they want you Master Windu."

"A trap this meeting could be." Yoda warned, a grave look on his face.

"Possibly." Mace agreed. "We cannot afford a schism, however. Whatever the risk, I must go. The galaxy is dangerous enough as it is."

Later on, Yoda prepared to see Mace off as he prepared to leave in his ship. Before the Jedi Master set off to go, his old teacher spoke to him imparting his years of wisdom. "Master Windu, when on Ruul view Master Bulq with a child's eye you must. Let not any preconception cloud your judgement on this matter. Dark events are taking place on Ruul. Beware of them and the dark side." The wizened green Jedi advised.

"I will. Thank you my old friend, and may the Force be with you." Mace said bidding farewell as he climbed into the cockpit. With that, the Korun Jedi set the controls as his ship flew off into the atmosphere.

XXXXXXXXX

Two days later at night, Master Windu arrived at his destination to be greeted by the Weequay Jedi Master himself.

"Master Windu, good to see you!" he greeted, "I'm glad you decided to accept our invitation after all. It will be good to have the voice of the Council here to weigh in on this matter."

"Before we begin anything, I have to ask you something Sora." Mace interjected. "What exactly do you hope to gain from this meeting?"

Sora paused mid-step, turning to face his friend. "I will not lie Mace, the fact is that I no longer know whether or not the Republic is still a cause worth fighting for." He looked away, a sad look in his eyes. "So many lives were lost on Geonosis, my own padawan included. Was their sacrifice really worth the defense of what has become such a corrupt institution?"

"As Jedi we are sworn to serve the Republic." Mace reminded him, "I understand your concerns, but the Separatists are far worse than any corruption we've faced. I would think that you already know this from your experiences with Dooku on Bakura."

For a moment, Sora seemed to stiffen at his last comment before continuing on. "Yes, the Separatists are in their own ways misguided I suppose, but I cannot heedlessly throw away my support to a government that does not even care for our lives! I may end up simply neutral at the end of all this. For now I must listen and meditate." He finished, turning to leave to his estate.

"Before you go, I would like to ask you one more thing." Mace called after him, causing him to turn. "Before I left the Temple, I had a sparring match with Master Vos. In our duel, he used a Vaapad technique that he claimed you taught him. Is this true?"

Bulq nodded slowly, "Yes, I taught him those techniques as a test to see if he truly had turned to the Dark Side. When he passed, I pressed him no further."

"You should have informed the Council before proceeding to train him in that form. You know as well as I do the potential consequences of using Vaapad." The Jedi Master warned.

"Perhaps," Sora agreed, "But that is in the past now. Let us now prepare for the meeting."

XXXXXXXXXX

A few hours later, all eight Jedi present gathered in the main house of Sora Bulq's estate to begin the discussion. The first to speak up was Rhad Tarn, a Jedi Knight who believed that the Order should be fighting for the Confederacy instead of against it. "As a padawan, you all know I served much of my apprenticeship in the Outer Rim. There I was witness to the crimes which the Republic turns a blind eye to such as slavery and spice mine laboring." He reminisced with a tone of disgust. "It is a corrupt institution which needs to be brought down and begun anew. We Jedi should be fighting with the Confederacy-Not the Republic!" he concluded, finishing his remarks.

Another Jedi Knight, Mira, who was also a former padawan of Bulq's shook her head in response. "While I agree with you Rhad that the Republic has become an extremely corrupt institution, I cannot support open warfare. I—and those for whom I speak—believe that this war represents a failure to listen… We need to stop the fighting and let diplomacy resume." The debate continued from that point on with both sides giving their points and arguments but with no one gaining the upper hand in any of them. Eventually, the focus turned to Sora to see what his position on the matter would be. He stood at the front of the room with Gin and Izuru standing next to him.

"My friends," he said quietly, "I have heard all of your comments on this matter and have come to a decision on where I will stand. I also agree with Rhad that the Jedi should side with the Confederacy." Before anyone could protest, he raised his hand. "I have made my beliefs known and now before we proceed any further I suggest we all take a short break to clear our minds." With that final statement, the Weequay turned and walked out of the room outside.

As he walked, footsteps approached from behind him as he turned to see Master Windu. "Sora! Why did you change your position so easily?" Mace asked sounding confused. "I thought you had said you were undecided as to what side you would come out on?"

"Mace, tonight my heart and mind are full and I need time to think. Good night my friend." With those remarks, he walked forward out into the darkness of the night.

XXXXXXXXXX

Meanwhile, in a different part of the estate, Mira walked alongside Sian Jeisel, a Devaronian Jedi, about her thoughts concerning the meeting. "I just was uneasy the whole time it was going on. I can't place my feelings, but something is afoot here." She whispered quietly.

"Maybe you're just overreacting to-" Sian began only to be interrupted by the sound of lightsaber blades clashing against each other. The two hurried to find the source of the noise, and to their surprise they found Maser Bulq clashing with an assailant wielding two lightsabers. The attacker was vicious in it's strikes, knocking down the Weequay to the ground.

"Help!" Mira called, "Everyone hurry outside!" Using the force, she hurled several rocks toward the assassin while Jeisel opted to confront her directly. Instead of confronting the Devaronian however, she jumped over Mira's projectiles and chose her instead. The Jedi barely had time to ignite her lightsaber before the attacking weapon crashed into her. She struggled in vain to block her strikes until help arrived, but to no avail as the red sword imbedded itself in her chest. Screaming in pain, she fell to the ground dying as the others arrived on the scene.

"Assassin!" Mace called out in a demanding voice, "Reveal yourself!"

Instead of renewing her attack, the group were surprised to see the Dark Jedi bow herself to the ground. "I am your humble servant, Mace Windu. I trust you're pleased." She stated before turning and running off. A stunned silence filled the area.

Gin was the first to break the silence, speaking in a subtle voice. "Wow, I don't think anyone was expecting that. If I didn't know any better, I'd say that person was a friend of yours Master Windu."

"I knew it!" Rhad exclaimed, "I've been feeling uneasy this whole time and now I know why! Maste Windu brought that assassin to kill us for not wanting to participate in his war!"

"You go too far Rhad!" The Whiphid Jedi, K'Kruhk, argued back. "Master Windu would never resort to tactics such as that!"

"People change K'Kruhk and Master Windu's ship was the last to arrive on Ruul. No ship can land here without Master Bulq being aware of it so she had to have come with him!"

"You are not making sense Rhad," Mace told him in a calming voice, "Go back to the estate and relax. I will track down this dark attacker and solve the mystery of how she got here." Concluding his remarks, Mace turned and moved off in the direction the assassin had fled.

"No," Rhad said in an angry tone, "I will not allow you to kill anymore." With that vow, the angry young Jedi Knight followed in pursuit of the Master.

"I think we'll go look too." Gin said in his normal playful tone, turning toward Izuru. "Two heads are better than one right?" He then ran off as well, his padawan following closely behind.

Sian and K'Kruhk were also about to follow, but were stopped by Sora. "No, you two help me with Mira. Let's take her body back into the estate where she can rest in peace." Nodding slowly, the two followed after the Weequay as he picked up his padawan's now limp body and slowly trudged back inside his house.

XXXXXXXXXX

Traveling along the grounds at a breakneck pace using the force, Mace scoured the grounds like a hawk searching for its prey. _'How did she arrive here?'_ he wondered to himself. _'Could she have really somehow stowed away on my ship?'_ He had heard of techniques that would conceal one's self in the force, but had never took notice of them until now. It currently presented the only plausible explanation. But still...

While in thought, he nearly missed the ship sitting nearby, concealed by plants and trees. _'This isn't one of our ships. Therefore it can only be the assassin's.' _At that moment, a realization struck him. _'But wait! That could only mean..._

XXXXXXXXXX

Rhad sped through the foliage, trying to stay on track of Windu's trail. He was determined to reveal him for what he truly was, a traitor, and bring him in for his crimes. But as he ran, he felt a dark presence nearby. "Show yourself! I can fell your near!" he yelled angrily, knowing who it was.

"How perceptive. You show promise." The voice said as its speaker revealed herself. Stepping out, the assassin put her hand forward goading the Jedi into attacking her. Rhad obliged all too easily, launching a furious attack filled with his rage.

"You are not like the other Jedi. I can feel your hatred." The Dark Jedi taunted him. "Call upon it. Release your fury and let your true self be free!" With those words, something in Rhad snapped as his mind was suddenly overshadowed by darkness and cold anger. His opponent grinned in response. "Yes, you have finally done it. My name is Asajj Ventress. Join me and together we will help to bring the Republic down."

After a brief pause, Rhad extinguished his lightsaber and fell down on one knee. "I am yours to command."

"No Rhad!" A voice yelled, as two more figures hurried onto the scene. "Don't listen to her!" Sian pleaded, as she and K'Kruhk arrived, their lightsabers in hand. "Can't you see that she's just using you to meet her own ends?"

"I am not weak and I will be a Republic pawn no longer." Rhad replied in an eerily calm voice. "Prepare yourselves, for we are allies no more." With these words, the two Dark Side users charged forward bent only on the destruction of the two guardians of the Light.

XXXXXXXXXX

Meanwhile, in a completely different part of the area, Gin turned to face his padawan. "All right Izuru, it's time to put our plan into action. You know what to do."

"And this will help to end the war, right Master?" Izuru asked.

"Course it will. If everything goes well, it won't even be necessary." Gin replied, "Now I've got to go and check up on Master Bulq, so it's up to you to get this done. Got it?"

"Yes Master," Izuru said nodding, "I won't let you down." The boy then turned and ran off to complete his task.

'_Excellent,' _Gin thought to himself. _'And now for Master Windu.'_ He grinned to himself as he hurried off back to the estate before the fireworks began.

XXXXXXXXXX

Inside the estate, Sora had laid Mira's body down on a stone slab in the center of the main room. "I'm sorry Mira," he said in a solemn voice, "I'd hoped it wouldn't escalate to this point, but circumstances proved otherwise."

"Would you care to elaborate on that Master Bulq?" A stern voice said from behind.

Sora didn't even bother turning around to face him. "I didn't think you would be fooled that easily. Tell me, how did you figure it all out?"

"It wasn't that hard once I located the assassin's ship. Rhad said nobody could land on this planet without you being aware of it, so the only plausible explanation was that you let her land." Mace explained. "Your change in opinion only cements these facts. Tell me, Sora. When did you go over to the Dark Side?"

The Weequay turned around brandishing his two ignited lightsabers. "I was long fascinated by it. Our work on Vaapad-my own secret researches into it-fascinated me more. What I said about Geonosis was true-save only that Count Dooku approached me after the battle was over."

"So by the time Tholme contacted you, you'd already been in league with Dooku to begin with." A grim Mace now realized.

"Yes, he showed me how the Republic would only change if we, the Jedi, took control of it. From the start, I planned to use this meeting to create a schism in the Order and bring more Jedi into the Confederacy." Sora finished. "But now that you know, I'm afraid a change of plans is in order. I think killing of all you and then laying the blame on your shoulders would be fitting, don't you think? I return to the Temple with news of your betrayal and how though you were eventually defeated, only I escaped to tell about it."

"You seem to be forgetting I'm not dead yet." Mace challenged, igniting his purple blade.

"Yes, but in a moment you will be." Sora replied casually.

Mace barely had time to take in his comment before he found himself sidestepping out of the way of a long, silver blade coming at him from behind. The attack, which would have gone through the back of his head, barely missed and instead grazed his shoulder.

"Whoops," A new figure said entering, "Sorry Master Bulq, I missed him."

"It is no trouble Gin." Sora told him. "He will die soon enough."

"So, you're involved in this too Ichimaru?" The Jedi Master asked as the silver haired Jedi came into the room.

"Of course he is," Sora answered, "Gin's been with me from the very beginning. From the moment I became a Master, there was no one better suited to be my apprentice."

"So all this time since Geonosis, you've been lying to everyone. Me, Yoda, the Council, the entire Jedi Order, everyone! If you honestly think I'm going to let the two of you leave here alive, then you obviously never got to know me as well as I thougt Sora." With these remarks, Mace took the starting position of Juyo preparing his attack.

To his surprise however, Sora just chuckled. "I applaud you for your determination Master Windu. It's all in vain however. You and I both created Vaapad and I'll even fathom that you might be able to beat me in single combat. But against two Vaapad Masters? I'm afraid you have no chance of winning."

"So you taught him the Vaapad maneuvers as well." Mace realized, "I admit I always was curious as to how one so young could have defeated someone of Volfe Karkko's status on their own. Now it all makes sense."

"Well I'm happy to hear that." The traitorous Jedi complemented. "But the time for talking has ended. Prepare to die, Mace Windu."

XXXXXXXXXX

Outside, the situation was not getting any better. With Rhad's help, Ventress was easily able to hold off the Jedi.

While K'Kruhk dueled with Asajj, Rhad fought with a pleading Sian. "Rhad, I don't know what she did to you, but... come back. Don't walk this path, don't make me..."

"Make you do what, Devaronian? Die?" He sneered, "This is what I choose-including killing you." With a massive force push, he hurled Sian back against a rock, knocking her lightsaber out of her hand. As Rhad stepped forward and prepared to end her life, he felt a pain in his chest. He looked down to see his opponents lightsaber stuck in his torso from the back, having been pulled there with the force. The fallen Jedi's eyes closed as he fell to the ground, never to rise again.

"I'm sorry Rhad." Sian said sadly, "But you forced my hand." She had no time to relax however, as K'Kruhk collapsed to the ground after a blow to the head from Ventress. She jumped into action, attacking the assassin from behind, only to find her attack easily blocked. They fought evenly for a few moments, but Ventress proved to be more than a match for the Devaronian, kicking her to the ground aside. She then walked back over to the Whiphid, planning to finish what she started.

Just as she was about to strike however, she turned to block a blur of purple coming at her from the side. "Away assassin!" Mace yelled, arriving on the scene.

Ventress grinned, "Powerful... I have desired this, Mace Windu. There is no challenge in the others. More than them, I want you dead!" With that the Dark Jedi jumped back and to everyone's surprise joined her twin lightsabers into a double-bladed one. Rushing forward she attacked the Korun Master with her new weapon, hoping to catch him off guard with its length and size. To her shock however, Ventress quickly found herself to be the one on the defensive as Mace's blade seemed to be everywhere at once. She tried hurling some rocks telepathically at him, only for them to be crushed into pebbles which were then fired back at her like bullets.

Breathing heavily, she quickly distanced herself away from the Vaapad master. "You are strong Jedi, far stronger than I had imagined. But I will not be defeated today." With that remark, Asajj ran over toward a nearby clifftop and jumped over the edge. She rose a few moments later however, riding on the back of a droid which spirited her away from the battle site.

Seeing that their duel had come to an end, Mace turned to his companions to check on their status. "Are you both all right?" he asked.

"Yes, we'll be fine Master Windu." Sian answered helping K'Kruhk to his feet. "But what happened to everyone else?"

Frowning, Mace recollected what had happened.

_Flashback_

_Mace fought against the two Vaapad users, his lightsaber __a purple blur surrounding them. Despite being outnumbered, he was managing himself relatively well so far. But he was quickly tiring and his shoulder ached from where Ichimaru had stabbed it. On top of that, he could already feel himself being pressed back by his two opponents._

"_Give it up Mace!" Sora yelled, "You cannot win!"_

"_You're right." He answered in agreement. Jumping backwards, he raised his hand toward the ceiling and with a massive force pull brought it down, separating himself from his attackers. 'Now to help the others.' Using a force push, he blasted out a nearby window and leapt through, hurrying to the battle._

_Flashback End_

"So Sora and Gin have betrayed us." K'Kruhk mused, "All the pieces come together."

"All we wanted was peace Mace." Sian told him, "We never intended for any of this to happen."

"I know," Mace said in an understanding voice, "And I want you both to know this. Whatever your choice, we on the Council will honor it so long as it does not lead you to the dark side. There can be no schism if we keep our hearts and minds open to one another. We are all one in the Force."

"Thank you Mace, you don't-" K'Kruhk began, stopping as he sensed something. "Wait, a minute, Ichimaru's padawan was here also. What has happened to him?"

Realizing he did not know, the Jedi Master's expression hardened. "I don't know K'Kruhk, but we're going to find out."

XXXXXXXXXX

Back in the lower level of the estate, Sora and Gin walked to where a secret hanger was stationed in case of quick getaways. Along the way, Gin whistled, "Wow, Master Windu is one scary, scary guy." He said recollecting their fight. "He took both of us on at once and didn't even seem fazed by it."

"Yes," Sora agreed. "It's a pity we weren't able to finish him off then and there, but if our contingency plan works out everything will be fine regardless. Do you think you're apprentice will have finished by now?"

"Don't worry, Izuru will get it done."

"Excellent, then let us be off."

XXXXXXXXXX

The three Jedi ran through the foliage looking for the missing padawan. Soon they located the boy, only for him to begin running away. He didn't get far however, as Mace used the force to knock over a nearby tree blocking his escape path. Surrounded, the blond Jedi ignited his lightsaber and charged forward, only to have it snatched out of his hand as he was pinned against the tree.

"Start talking padawan." Mace ordered, "What role have you played in all this?"

"Do whatever you want to me," Izuru answered calmly, "My actions have already helped to create peace in the galaxy and there's nothing you can do to stop it. Soon, Master Ichimaru and Bulq will arrive and then they will bring you in for your crimes."

"What are you talking about?" K'Kruhk asked, "By now those two will have left the planet and be light years away."

"What—no, you're lying! My Master would never abandon me!" Izuru angrily protested.

"Search you're feeling padawan." Mace instructed. "They are no longer here. Their presences are gone."

"No, no!" the padawan said in a downcast voice, "They left without me? Why Master, why?"

"Ichimaru and Bulq have both betrayed the Order and are now alligned with the Confederacy." Sian explained, "Padawan, what did they tell you?"

"They said that the war was a conspiracy planned by Master Windu and some of the senators and that if your actions were exposed all of the fighting would end." Izuru answered.

"But what were _you_ doing?" Mace asked him again in a stern voice.

"Master Ichimaru told me that in order to prevent anyone's escape, I-I was to place timed explosives in all of your ships. That way even if they couldn't stop you here, you would st-still be stranded and they could expose you back on Coruscant." He stammered in a frightened voice.

"They could relay any story they wished and none of us would be able to counter it." K'Kruhk realized, "Padawan, when were these explosives to go off?"

"Right about-"

KABOOM!

"-now." He finished in a weak voice.

"Which ship was the last one you placed the explosives on?" Mace yelled as another explosion rang out.

"You-Yours Master Windu." The blonde answered. Grabbing him under his arm, Mace turned to his companions before running off. "Come on, we have to hurry!"

The group raced back counting off the blasts as they rang out. 1...2...3... two left from the Jedi who had originally come. A fourth one rang out as Mace's ship came into sight. _'It's going to be close!' _he thought to himself. Tossing Izuru to the ground, he jumped in immediately spotting the bombs inside. With the speed of a Jedi Master, he grabbed them with the force and launched them with a powerful push out into the sky.

KABOOM!

They exploded just in time as they flew away from the Jedi's only means of escape off the planet. Mace breathed a sigh of relief, happy that they had managed to foil their enemy's plans once more. Walking outside, he turned to the three individuals before motioning to them to get on.

"Come on, let's get out of here."

XXXXXXXXXX

As the ship flew off into hyperspace, another one hidden nearby watched it go.

"It appears your padawan failed Gin." Sora said in a reprimanding voice. "It's a good thing we chose to wait before leaving to Coruscant."

"Sorry Master, guess I just had too high expectations for him." His grinning subordinate replied.

"It's not important now. By one way or another we will achieve our goals in the end. Set the ship to the hyperspace coordinates I entered into the navicomputer."

"Of course, as you wish Master Bulq."

XXXXXXXXXX

A few days later, the Jedi arrived safely back on Coruscant. K'Kruhk had agreed to fully rejoin the war effort, while Sian remain undecided for now as to what she would do. Izuru was currently in his quarters, still trying to accept what had happened at Ruul. Mace meanwhile was delivering his report to the Council. The distress in their faces was apparent.

"Two of our best, both gone." Plo Koon mourned, a hand resting on his head.

"How could we have allowed this to happen?" Ki-Adi Mundi mused.

"Too blind we were to see what was right in front of our eyes." Yoda answered, "Our own fault this is. The results of our mistakes, Bulq and Ichimaru are. Had we payed more attention, observed more closely, happened none of this would."

"There is still the matter of Ichimaru's padawan." Shaak Ti interjected, trying to change the subject. "What will become of Izuru Kira?"

"The boy was misguided and used by his master, and for now I believe it would be unwise to assign him a new one." Mace replied. "For now I would suggest putting him in the Padawan pack until further notice."

"Very good Master Windu." Yoda nodded, "For now adjourn the Council will and return to the war at hand."

XXXXXXXXXX

Deep in the Jedi Temple, one Knight in particular was taking the news of the betrayal in even more than anyone else. Aayla sat in her quarters, her tear filled eyes staring into the ground. _'Gin..._' she thought to herself. _'Why did you do it?'_ Hearing a knock on the door, she quickly wiped her face before getting up to answer it. Ki-Adi stood there waiting for her.

"Aayla," he said, "It's time for us to return to the battlefield."

"Yes Master," she replied, trying to sound sure of herself as she followed after him. But deep down, she could not hide the devastation she truly felt inside.

XXXXXXXXXX

Far away in another corner of the galaxy, Sora and Gin stood next to Count Dooku as he gave them their assignments. Both former Jedi were now dressed in different outfits from their usual attire. Sora sported a black version of his Jedi robes, while Gin wore black robes covering his arms and legs (Basically his Hueco Mundo outfit but in black instead of white).

"Master Bulq for now I am assigning you to preside over our Dark Acolytes and lead them in my absence." Dooku ordered, "I trust that you will keep them in line and follow my instructions to the letter."

"Of course my lord." Bulq accepted, bowing graciously.

"As for you young Ichimaru," Dooku said facing the smiling man, "We are about to reveal the existence of one of our new allies. I would like you to go to Hypori and view his progress there. Do your best to not interfere and see how well he handles the situation."

"As you command Count." Gin replied casually, "Hypori huh? Sounds like fun."

XXXXXXXXXX

**Next Chapter: Battles All Around**

A/N: Another chapter done, and to celebrate the beginning of the war I've come up with a brand new segment featuring the one and only Gin Ichimaru!

Gin: Hiya! Starting today I'm gonna be doin' this new show where I interview different Star Wars characters at the end of each chapter, and who better to be our first guest then the most hated character himself, the destroyer of prequel hopes and dreams, the one and only Jar Jar Binks!

Jar Jar: Hello! Mesa is so happy to be here today!

Gin: So, Jar Jar first question: Why do you enjoy causing Star Wars fans so much pain and agony whenever they see you?

Jar Jar: What? What is yousa talking about? The fans love me! Mista Lucas told me so!

(Gin shakes head)

Gin: Mista Lucas lied. The older ones hate you because you and your stupidity represent everything wrong with the new movies and the younger ones still have nightmares whenever they see you on screen. Even Lucas hates you now, that's why he decided to get a prop of you in carbonite to sit in his office.

Jar Jar: Oh no! Dis is horrible! What should mesa do? I know! Mesa will go and apologize to all dos nice peoples out there and make everyting better!

(Jar Jar turns to leave)

Gin: Wait a minute Jar Jar! That's the...

(Hissing of a door opening is heard, followed by Jar Jar screaming)

Gin: ...airlock. Well folks, we lost Jar Jar Binks, but on the bright side the Star Wars universe just got a million times better!

Jar Jar: Whew! Mesa almost got sucked out into space there! Mesa is so glad that—

(Gin kicks Jar Jar in face, causing him to fall back out of the airlock into the vacuum of space)

Gin: Like I said, we _lost_ Jar Jar Binks. Bye bye guys! See ya next time!

A/N: So, did you like it? Should I do more of them in the future? Review please!


	6. Chapter 5: Battles All Around

**Grinnin' Jedi**

A/N: We finally arrive at Hypori, the site of my favorite episode from the old Clone Wars cartoon. I can still remember seeing Grievous kick butt for the first time and how awesome he was. Then I think about now. He's gone from taking on five Jedi at once to not even being able to kill a padawan! Ahsoka should not be that good! But, that's enough ranting from me for now. On to comments!

Faroush: Don't worry, I never planned on using the manga ending for Gin to begin with. Yes, Aayla is basically a substitute for Matsumoto in many ways, but she will play much more of a prevalent role and be much stronger than Rangiku ever was in Bleach.

nightmaster000: Yes, I will be doing episodes from the show soon. However, since it doesn't take place until about a year or so into the Wars, I will continue to focus on parts of the comics storyline until I reach that point.

A/N: I just want to say thanks again to everyone for all the support. I really appreciate your comments because it shows that people are taking an active interest in my story, which makes me more than happy to continue it.

Remember to Review!

**Chapter 5: Battles All Around**

Arriving on the planet a few days later, Gin walked down the corridors of the Separatist base escorted by two battle droids. Coming to a door, it opened to reveal a hulking grey figure that towered over the machines surrounding him.

"Soooooo," Gin began, "I take it your General Grievous, eh?"

The figure turned around to reveal a chilling mask coupled with two yellow reptilian eyes. "And I would assume you are to be my overseer for this battle, human?" he asked in a grave voice, "It would be a pity if you were not, otherwise I might have to...dispose of you."

The former Jedi just smiled, "Sorry, but I am. Gin Ichimaru is at your service." He replied with a mock bow.

Grievous seemed to perk up for a moment, "The Hundred Sheather? I was not aware that you were working for our side, Jedi." He questioned suspiciously.

"Yep, I am and for the record I ain't a Jedi anymore either." Gin answered with a grin, "So, whatcha gonna do when the Republic shows up here? Count Dooku said I was supposed to observe how you handle the situation."

"Hmph," Grevious said turning away, "As you know we recently leaked out intelligence concerning our droid factory here to lure the Republic into battle. To prepare for their arrival, I've placed some...surprises for them in space."

"Ooooooh!" Gin said happily, "I like surprises!"

XXXXXXXXXX

Meanwhile, Republic forces were just now entering into Hypori space. The leader for this mission was Master Daakman Barrek, a famed Jedi Master who was in charge due to his superior knowledge of industrial matters on worlds such as Hypori. Accompanying him as leaders were Jedi Council members Ki-Adi Mundi and Shaak Ti, his padawan Sha'a Gi, and Jedi Knights K'Kruhk, Tarr Seirr, and Aayla Secura. Currently, the group was standing over a hologram of the planet where Master Barrek was giving them their instructions.

"The plan for the battle will be as follows. The Separatist base and droid factory are located over here in the west, so we will be landing over here east of their position." He explained, pointing out the different locations. "After landing, each Jedi will take command of one of the clone divisions, after which we will attack simultaneously from different directions. Then we will—"

"Sir!" A trooper yelled running into the room.

"What is it soldier?" Master Barrek asked.

"It's the area surrounding the planet! It's been covered by—" A loud explosion muffled the clone's words and sent everyone tumbling to the ground.

"-mines." Shaak Ti finished. Getting up, Barrek immediately rushed forward to the command deck to make contact with the other ships.

"Status Report!" he yelled in a commanding voice, "What is your condition?"

"Cruiser I has sustained 65% damage!" A voice responded frantically, "Cruisers II and III 80% damage! Cruisers IV and V 87% damage! We cannot stay in orbit sir!"

"Prepare to make emergency landings!" The Jedi Master ordered. Turning back to his companions he motioned for them to grab onto something. "Hang on! This landing isn't going to be pretty!"

XXXXXXXXXX 

"Intelligence shows all five of the Republic cruisers moving in for emergency landings sir." A droid reported to Grievous and Gin.

"Excellent," the General responded, sounding pleased. "Send our armies forward to give them a proper welcome."

"Yes sir, all divisions mobilize on the downed Republic ships." The droid repeated as Grievous began walking out of the room.

"So you're going to be joining them?" Gin questioned him.

"Of course," Grievous responded, "A true warrior lead from the front. They do not cower behind their troops and let them do all the work. No, they must march forward and lead them into battle."

"Well aren't you a dedicated one." Gin complemented. "In that case I think I'll join you, just to see how good you really are." With those remarks, he followed after the General to the massacre that would soon follow.

XXXXXXXXXX

Their plans in shambles, the Jedi desperately tried to gather their remaining clones together that had managed to survive the attack. The majority of them had been killed in the crashes, but thankfully all the Jedi had managed to survive. Trying to keep everything organized, Master Barrek assigned the nearby medics to look over the injured, while trying to keep everyone motivated.

"Don't worry men, everything is going to be fine!" He told them. "We've gotten out of tighter spots than this before and soon we'll—"

The Jedi Masters words were drowned out as blasterfire began raining down around them. "Take cover!" Barrek yelled. "Soldiers, get behind the ships! Jedi with me!" The clones scrambled to do as they were told, moving behind their fallen transports while the Jedi charged forward into the charging droid armies. The force users hit their opponents like a hurricane, their lightsabers flashing blurs that quickly halted the enemy advance.

"Yes!" Ki-Adi Mundi cheered, "Drive them back! Do not hesitate!" Despite their momentary victory however, Aayla quickly noted something was wrong. They should have started receiving support fire from their troops by now, yet nothing was happening. The other Jedi seemed to notice it as well, turning back to where the remainder of their army was stationed. _'Something is very wrong here.'_ Aayla thought to herself.

At that very moment, blasterfire did begin pouring out from the ships, but not at the droids. The Jedi quickly found there selves on the defensive again as a second army of droids charged out at the rear to meet them, leaving in their wake the corpses of their fallen army. Panting from exhaustion, Master Barrek turned to fellow Masters Ki-Adi Mundi and Shaak Ti. "It's no use! We can't win this fight! I'm going to try and contact Master Kenobi on Muunilinst and see if he can dispatch a rescue party!" Looking for shelter nearby, he spotted another downed Republic ship, hollowed out by the crash. "Head for the cruiser over there!" He yelled pointing, "I'm going to—" His voice was drowned out by a loud metallic thud landing in front of him.

A huge figure emerged, towering high above any of the Jedi. "Hello there Jedi." he said to Barrek in a deep rasping voice. "You will have the honor of being my first kill of the day." With those words, he pulled out two lightsabers which he quickly ignited.

"RUN!" Barrek yelled, "I'll hold him off as long as I can!"

XXXXXXXXXX

As Aayla turned to flee with the others, she found herself halted by a new presence that had entered the battlefield, a presence which she only recognized too well. _'Gin!' _she realized, turning around. Sure enough, there he was standing on a cliff top overlooking the killing grounds, smiling as usual. The Twilek then felt herself moving again, but this time back towards the battlefield in the direction of her friend. "Aayla!" Ki-Adi Mundi yelled, "What are you doing?" Before she could advance any further, he grabbed her arm pulling her back.

"Master Mundi, let me go!" Aayla protested angrily.

"Stop what you are doing and think for a moment!" The Jedi Master shot back. "If you go to him now, you will almost surely be killed! There will be other opportunities than this for answers! For now we must retreat!"

Biting down her pride, Aayla glanced back one more time before turning back to flee with the others.

XXXXXXXXXX

"New droid general… He's unstoppable… Can't hold out for long… General Grievous is hunting us… Must hurry." Barrek sputtered out into the device just as the lightsabers struck him down. The communicator rolled out from his hands only to be crushed moments later by a metallic foot. "Pathetic," Grievous said to himself, "Is this the best the Jedi Order has to offer?"

"Naw," A voice said coming up behind him. "Master Barrek was never much of a fighter to begin with. I'm not even sure why they chose to make him a general in the first place."

"I do not like it when people sneak up on me from behind Ichimaru." Grievous replied darkly, "I would advise you not to do so in the future."

"Ooh, scaaary." The smiling ex-Jedi responded. "So what are ya gonna do about the rest of those Jedi in there?" he questioned, indicating the cruiser over there.

"I will deal with them...personally." Grievous answered, lifting a hand to stop his armies advance.

"Ya want any help with that?" Gin asked casually, pulling out his own saber.

"I do not require anyone's help, the least being _yours_." The general answered gruffly. "Do me a favor and go back to the base and sit quietly until I return."

"Awww," Gin complained. "That's no fun at all!" With shoulders down, the silver haired man sadly trudged back to their command post.

Happy that his order had been accepted, the cyborg warrior was now able to focus fully on the new prey that awaited him inside the ship.

XXXXXXXXXX 

An hour later, the Republic gunship sent by Obi-Wan flew off with its injured cargo. Aayla and Shaak Ti lay inside as the clone medics tended to their wounds, while Ki-Adi Mundi stood by watching. _'How could he do this?'_ he wondered, still in shock from what had happened. _'How could one being simultaneously take on five Jedi at once and emerge victorious?' _

"Sir!" the medic turned to him saluting, "The survivors' conditions have continued to stabilize. They should be fully recovered after a few days of bacta treatment on Coruscant."

"Good," The Jedi Master nodded, "Now let's just hope that we can get off this planet alive."

Little did the Cerean know that as he spoke these words, a targeting computer locked onto the fleeing gunship. The battle droid operating it turned to Gin who was watching the ship run on the monitor in the command post. "Sir, should we open fire on the gunship?" it asked.

"Hmmm," Gin said, putting his hand under his chin thinking. After a moment, he answered. "Nah, we'll let 'em go this time."

"But sir, we have strict orders to—" The droid found itself cut off as it was flung out of the command window crashing into the earth below.

"Anyone else wanna fire on it?" Gin challenged in a mischievous tone. The droids all shook their heads in response. "Good," Gin remarked approving. "I'm so glad that we can agree easily when it comes to issues like this." With that being said, the grinning man turned and walked out of the room heading off to report to Dooku on the general's progress.

XXXXXXXXXX

A few days later, the Jedi Council convened to discuss the new threat that had revealed itself. Also present in the room was Tholme who had come to put in his input on what he believed should be done.

"We cannot ignore this threat." Ki-Adi Mundi began. "Not only did he manage to outwit us and our armies, but being able to defeat so many Jedi on his own is a feat itself."

"Dangerous this General Grievous has proven himself to be." Yoda said nodding in agreement. "But what to be done about him, the question remains. Master Tholme, have input on this you do?"

"You are correct Master Yoda." Tholme answered, "To me, the most disturbing fact about this is not how many Jedi or clones were defeated, it's how easily we were led into this trap. The Separatists obviously had planned this for sometime and we fell for it every step of the way. If we cannot gather better intelligence on which battles we choose, more catastrophes like Hypori are bound to follow."

"I'm assuming you have a plan?" Mace asked.

"As a matter of fact I do. If we cannot decipher their battle plans ourselves, then the logical solution would be to insert an agent of our own into the midst."

"A double agent?" Plo Koon questioned, "It would be useful yes, but the problem with any such plan is how to successfully insert the agent into their ranks. Dooku will already be wary of plots such as these."

"That's the beauty of it Plo." Tholme answered smiling, "We don't have to do anything. The agent will be welcomed by the Separatists with open arms because he will simply defect over to their side." He explained, "We know from Master Windu's experiences on Ruul that the Confederacy is looking for dissident Jedi to join their ranks, so we will give them one. Our operative will infiltrate their side and appear to be working for them, when in reality he will be reporting to us on all of their activities. No one else would be aware of his actions other than myself, the Council, and our own agents."

"I'm assuming you have a candidate in mind Tholme?" Master Fisto inquired.

"Yes, my former padawan, Master Quinlan Vos." At this remark, a murmur arose from many Council members. Yoda frowned, his ears drooping.

"Dangerous, your plan is Master Tholme. Tread the Dark Side in the past Master Vos has with almost disastrous results." Yoda reminded. "Too much, this mission may be for him."

"I understand your concerns Master Yoda." Tholme said agreeing. "But that is precisely why his going over would be so believable. We cannot just send any Jedi to do this task and I believe Quinlan is the only one capable of fulfilling this role."

After a few more minutes of debate, Yoda sighed giving into the general consensus. "Very well, go through with your plan we will Master Tholme, but careful you must be in doing this thing."

"Of course." Tholme answered. Then, with a respectful bow, the Jedi Master turned and walked out of the room.

XXXXXXXXXX

Light-years away, Dooku and Gin sat in the dark room of a ship overlooking the galaxy through a large window. "So," Dooku began, "I trust Grievous executed his plan with precision?"

"Yep," Gin answered, "Everyone but a couple Jedi and clones got wiped out. They never stood a chance."

"Acceptable," Dooku said nodding. "Tell me Gin, what do you expect the Republic's next move will be?"

"Weeeeeeell," Gin replied while thinking, "If I were them, I'd probably work to cover the intelligence gap that led to the battle in the first place. The best way to do this would probably be by dispatching some new agents to report on our operations."

"Correct. It just so happens that the Republic is doing this very thing at the moment." Dooku informed him. "The Jedi are dispatching Quinlan Vos to infiltrate our Dark Acolyte ranks under the guise of him turning to the Dark Side."

"Master Vos eh?" Gin repeated. "He would be the ideal choice. I bet Master Tholme was the one behind it too. Ya want me to kill him?"

The Sith Lord shook his head, "No, not at the moment. For now he will be left under the eye of Master Bulq and myself. As for you my young friend, I have another task for you to complete."

"It's not gonna be another one where I have to watch and report is it?" Gin whined.

"No, I think you might actually enjoy this one." Dooku answered. "On Haruun Kal, Jedi Master Depa Billaba has been training the local force-sensitive population to fight against us in the war. Kill her and help to bring the planet back into line. You will be going alone as to avoid the detection and therefore should work to make sure you are not discovered."

Gin looked up, a thoughtful look on his face. "Haruun Kal? That's Master Windu's homeworld isn't it?" he asked.

"Correct again. He is also being sent to help bolster the Republic presence there which is why it is vital that you accomplish your mission before he arrives." Dooku answered as a dark look crossed his face. "Do not underestimate either of them. To do so would be both foolish and dangerous."

"Assassinate Billaba, avoid Master Windu and everyone else, and get off the planet alive. Gotcha." Gin reiterated, giving the count an okay sign before walking off. As he moved down the hall to his ship, he pulled out an object from his robes. Looking deeply into the heart of fire crystal, he smiled before pocketing it once more as he prepared to leave for the trip.

XXXXXXXXXX

A day later, the ex-Jedi arrived at his destination only to see that the battle between Republic and Confederate forces had already begun. _'All the better for me.' _He thought. The conflict would be the perfect distraction for him to accomplish his task. Landing his ship on an obscure part of the planet away from the fighting, Gin hopped out and began to search for his target. He knew from reports that the local Korunnai forces operated from within the nearby jungle, making it the first place on his search list.

Traveling over to the location, he entered into the exotic forest, taking notice of all the life-forms in the area. Soon, the silver haired man found that he was being watched by several beings hiding within the jungle canopies. _'Hmm, now will they try to capture or go right for the kill?' _Gin wondered. He got his answer a moment later when a shot rang out directed at his head. Igniting his lightsaber, he casually deflected it back at the attacker who promptly fell to the ground dead.

The remaining warriors charged forward, attempting to defeat their enemy by charging at him from different directions but to no avail. As quickly as they came they were cut down one by one, until only the leader remained.

Holding him by his neck, Gin smiled at the Korunnai warrior. "Hiya, would ya mind taking me to your base? I'd like to have a little chat with your leader." He asked politely.

In response, the warrior spat back in his face. "I will tell you nothing!" he sneered. Wiping away the saliva, Gin's grin seemed to suddenly get darker, causing the man to shudder with fear.

"Well that's just too bad, because you're going to be helpin' me whether you like it or not."

XXXXXXXXXX

Back at the Korunnai base camp, Depa and her commander Kar Vastor plotted over what their next move would be concerning her old Master. She had originally hoped that he would come to understand that what she had done over the past few weeks was necessary to win the war here. But he had not, and now her teacher was planning to take her away from the struggle here to which she belonged. Now she would have no choice but to end Mace's life when he tried to stop her.

As she was thinking, a warrior approached her and Vastor, saluting with a fist to his chest. "Our warriors have captured a Separatist agent in the jungle who was sent to spy on us." He pronounced proudly.

"Why was he not killed on sight?" Vastor asked angrily, "We do not take prisoners. Execute him immediately!"

"Yes sir!" The warrior complied, saluting once more as he turned to carry out the task. However, Depa suddenly felt somewhat disturbed. She had not sensed a new presence approach the camp, so how could a prisoner have arrived with out her knowing it? Suddenly, screams rang out from the camp as warriors began rushing forward from different directions towards the sound. Depa and Vastor rushed forward also, only to find their soldiers lying down dead in heaps, the victims of a silver lightsaber.

"There you are Master Billaba." The attacker said, "Well that was easy. I was hoping that the hunt would be a bit longer and more entertaining. Might I suggest getting guards that aren't that susceptible to Jedi mind tricks?"

"You know this man?" Her Korunnai ally inquired.

"Gin Ichimaru," she whispered, "He is a Jedi that defected over to the Separatists along with his master. Be careful, he's extremely dangerous."

"Hey, whatcha whispering about?" Gin asked inquisitively. "There's no need to be so cautious around me. I mean, you're both gonna die anyway so why bother?"

Vastor began to step forward, only to be restrained by the Jedi Master. "Do not let yourself be goaded by him Kar. Doing so would only invite your death. I will need your help in this fight."

"What, you're saying ya need his help to beat me?" Gin responded in a mocking tone,"Sounds to me like you've already given up on winning this fight by yourself. But, I guess being surrounded by this pathetic excuse for an army would dull your senses quite a bit now wouldn't it?"

"How dare you insult their sacrifices!" Vastor screamed, breaking free of Depa's grip and storming toward the grinning man. Before he even got close however, he stopped holding a hand to his chest. A moment later he fell to the ground, dead.

"What did you do to him?" Depa asked, her anger rising by the second.

"Oh, I just used a little force technique that I picked up on my travels. It kills an individual by stopping their heart, taking them out instantly." The man explained, "It doesn't normally work on force users, but can be quite useful for untrained ones like this fellow here." He pointed out, playfully nudging the Korunnai's head with his foot.

"I've heard enough out of you Ichimaru." The Chalactan snapped as she activated her lightsaber. "It's time for you to die!" Rushing forward, she swung her lightsaber in a wide arc which her opponent easily dodged by ducking. Jumping back, he moved his lightsaber along the ground, creating a dust storm which momentarily blinded the Jedi Master. Relying on the force, she successfully blocked a surprise follow up attack from behind, knocking him away. Wiping the dirt from her eyes, Depa went on the offensive once more using her mastery of Vaapad to attack Gin with a flurry of blades.

"That sounds a little dark for a Jedi to say don't ya think?" Gin teased as he countered with several rapid slashes of his own. Lifting his hand, he picked up some nearby Korunnai vibroshields and hurled them towards his opponent. Depa dodged them by jumping backwards, creating a gap between them. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say it even sounds a bit Sith-like."

The Jedi Master's rage just grew at the insult. "You would lecture me on what it means to be a Jedi? Don't talk like you know what it means traitor!" What appeared to be a surprised look came over her opponents face as she charged forward once more, her persona growing even more darker and sinister. The saber strokes she was using became wild and frenzied, much like the jungle surrounding them, as Depa tapped into her fury for greater momentum and ferocity.

"Oh? Would a Jedi kill innocent civilians who were incapable of harming anyone? Would a Jedi work with people who kill anyone who enters this place regardless of who they are or what their intentions were?" Gin shook his head before finishing. "You might've been a Jedi once, but not anymore and ya know why? It's because despite everything that's happened, you _enjoyed_ doing all of it."

At that moment something shattered within Depa. _'He's right'_, she realized. She had enjoyed it. She had enjoyed watching those fools cower in sight of her power as she cut them down. She had enjoyed having the Korunnai worship her for the strength and ruthlessness which she demonstrated. But most of all, she had enjoyed the might and intensity of the Dark Side whenever she touched it. _'I truly am no longer worthy to hold the title of Jedi.'_

Time seemed to slow down at that moment, as Depa felt her saber arm separate from her body, courtesy of Gin's lightsaber. She fell to her knees clutching her injury as he walked up in front of her. Then, she watched as his weapon came down to her neckline and gradually came closer and closer. Finally, it cut through completely and Depa Billaba faded into darkness, becoming one with the force.

XXXXXXXXXX

Mace hurried through the jungle, traveling through the thick underbrush. _'Please don't let me be too late!' _he thought to himself as he approached the area where his former apprentice's presence was. He leaped into the clearing just in time to see the tragedy unfold. The Jedi Master watched as Ichimaru separated Depa's head from her body as it fell limply at her side. He struggled to keep a tap on his anger as he stared into the face of the murderer.

"Oh, hey Master Windu!" Gin greeted waving, "Too bad. Looks like after all that trouble I went to in trying to avoid you, I still managed to get caught in the end."

"You truly have fallen far Gin." Mace avowed. "To kill someone in that matter and pretend to not even care, you sicken me."

"As I recall, you decapitated that bounty hunter back on Geonosis in an extremely similar matter to what I just did. Now how does that make me a bad person and you a good one?" Gin posed to the Jedi.

"I killed Jango Fett because I had no choice. You killed a clearly helpless opponent showing no feelings of remorse whatsoever in the process." Mace stated, "That is what separates you and me."

"Now who went and made you the judge on feelings? Can you even tell what I'm thinking right now Master Windu?" Gin asked, goading the Jedi Master. Not one to back down from a challenge, Mace focused his powers solely into the viewing of his opponents mind. What he found moments later shocked him to his core. While he could not tell what his thoughts were, he could clearly see vast shatterpoints morphing themselves around Gin. He glimpsed hundreds of events circulating around, all leading to different futures for the galaxy. In one, he saw an entire future engulfed by endless war with countless beings dying in the process. In another, he saw the Republic finally at peace, entering a new golden age in the process. _'What does this all mean?' _he wondered, momentarily in awe as he tried to decipher everything that was happening.

This pause however, gave Gin all the opportunity that he required. Taking a small object from the utility belt at his waist, he threw it at the ground causing a large smokescreen to envelop the area. Mace coughed on the smoke as he tried to lock onto the former Jedi's presence, but to his surprise he found nothing there. When everything cleared, there was no sign of him at all. Gin Ichimaru had vanished into thin air.

XXXXXXXXXX

Days later, Mace returned to Coruscant to give his report on the situation of Haruun Kal, sitting in an empty room with Master Yoda.

"The situation on the planet seems to have stabilized. The Senate is planning to send a peacekeeping force to help in rebuilding and prevent any new conflicts from arising." Mace stated to his old friend, as a saddened look crossed his face. "Unfortunately, we were not able to save Master Billaba. She was killed personally by Gin Ichimaru."

"Receive the proper burial rights she will. Never should we have sent her on this mission." Yoda mourned in a depressed tone. "More and more Jedi turn toward the Dark Side and now claimed another Council Member it has. Who then should fill her seat now?"

"I don't know myself at this point. Perhaps Master Kenobi, but it is still too early at the moment I think."

Yoda watched the Jedi Master frowning. "Something else, troubles you it does Master Windu. Something that occurred on Haruun Kal?"

Slowly, Mace nodded. "When I encountered Ichimaru after he killed Depa, I tried to view his mind in order to see what his intentions were. What I found was something entirely different." His face deepened, "I saw hundreds of shatterpoints surrounding him, all leading to different possible outcomes and futures. There were so many I couldn't even tell what half of them meant."

Yoda closed his eyes. "And what think you that it means Master Windu?" he questioned.

"I believe that it means one way or another, Gin Ichimaru will ultimately play a deciding factor in whether or not we win or lose this war." Mace speculated. "He will be crucial to the final outcome of everything in the end."

"Hmm," Yoda paused as he meditating on the new information, "Troubling this is, carefully in the future we must watch him then, in order for the Republic and the Jedi to survive this war."

XXXXXXXXXX

Later in the evening, Tholme and Aayla sat in the Jedi Spymaster's quarters discussing information that had recently been relayed to them by Master T'ra Saa. Recently, the Confederacy had been conducting raids near the Corellian Trade Spine, cutting off much needed supplies to the Republic forces. T'ra Saa's friend, Senator Elsah of Devaron, had reported that the Confederacy were operating from her planet with the help of a traitor there. Unfortunately, the senator had been assassinated before she could relay any more information.

"So, what do you think our plan should be for these events?" Tholme asked his protégé. He had been grooming Aayla to be his successor in the Spynet in case anything ever happened to him, and was working to involve her more closely in key assignments concerning the war.

"We should send a task force to Devaron composed of several Jedi to investigate." Aaya answered knowingly, "It would be best if we went in disguise to avoid giving away our intentions to the enemy and also so we can enter the planet unnoticed."

Tholme pressed further. "Who would you be selecting for this team? Masters, knights, padawans?"

"It would probably be best if we chose mainly Masters for this mission. We don't know what will await us there, so experienced candidates would be our best bet for success. I'll leave it to you to pick the team since you have a better knowledge of who's suited for this task and who's currently available." The Twilek stated in response.

The Jedi Master nodded. "Very well then, I'll gather together our forces tonight and we'll leave in the morning. Now you go and get some rest. I know you haven't been sleeping well lately." He ordered.

"I know Master, I've just had my mind on a lot of things." She said before turning to walk off. To say that she'd had a lot on her mind recently was an understatement. First, Gin and Sora had defected to the Confederacy and now Quinlan was off on a mission to infiltrate Dooku's inner circle. It seemed everyone close to her was leaving for one reason or another. Worse, she had just heard that Gin was the one responsible for Master Billaba's death on Haruun Kal days ago. First there was Ruul, then Hypori, and now Haruun Kal. The Holonet had already started a media campaign against him, Sora, and the other dissident Jedi calling them traitors and enemies of the Republic. Worse, public sentiment had already begun to turn against the Order, causing many now to view them with suspicion and distrust.

Finally arriving at her quarters which she frequently saw less and less now, the Jedi Knight collapsed onto her bed and stared into the ceiling above. Soon, she knew that she would have to confront her former friend and make him answer for everything he'd done. What Aayla feared most of all though, was what would happen to them both when the time did come for it to happen. Sighing, she closed her eyes and went to sleep, thinking back to better days when there was no war or deception to deal with.

XXXXXXXXXX 

The next morning the selected team arrived at their meeting place to form their plan of attack. The full team consisted of Tholme, Aayla, T'raa Saa, Kit Fisto, and An'ya Kuro. A squadron of clone troopers had also been assigned to help with the mission. Out of everyone there, Aayla knew each Jedi fairly well with the exception of Kuro. The woman was a mystery and actually preferred to be called 'The Dark Woman' as she claimed to have abandoned her name after failing her previous padawan. The teaching methods she used were supposed to be extremely harsh and unusual, leading many Jedi to both dislike and abhor her. Despite this, Tholme had welcomed her with open arms when she had agreed to help the Order by serving as a spy. This would actually be Aayla's first time meeting her in person.

"All right, everyone's here." Tholme stated, as he turned to the task force. "Let's get moving."

XXXXXXXXXX

**Next Chapter: Secrets Revealed**

A/N: Grinnin' Jedi will be going on break next week so I can work on a new Naruto fic. For those of you interested, it will be about what Naruto's life would have been like if he'd been given to Danzo and ROOT after having the Kyuubi sealed inside of him.


	7. Chapter 6: Secrets Revealed

**Grinnin' Jedi**

A/N: Since I've decided to continue on with Demon of the Leaf, the way I will be balancing my two stories out for now will be by switching off from one to the other each following week. This way I can keep both of them updated somewhat regularly, while also giving me time to work on what will be happening in each plot.

GorunNova: Truthfully, the original plot of the story involved Gin being reincarnated after the fight in Karakura town into the Star Wars universe. However, I ended up coming across the same problems many Bleach/Star Wars crossovers have in trying to tie the two universes together. Eventually, I just decided it would be better to scrap it and create a story focusing mainly on a Gin that was born in the Star Wars universe instead of a Bleach one.

Hellzanetruesdale: I'm glad that you think I've been doing a good job with keeping Gin in character. Personally, that's one of the things I tend to really dislike in fanfics. I hate it when they completely rearrange a character's personality and make them totally different from what they actually are in their own stories. There are exceptions to this, but why would I ever want to change Gin from the way he is in Bleach since his character is so great already? I'll be doing my best to not do this and keep him the way he was originally designed to be, because to me that is the best version there is.

Faroush: That was pretty much the point I wanted to make last chapter. The Republic could win, they could lose. The Jedi could be completely destroyed in the movies or they could become stronger than ever. The future is always in motion, so Gin is pretty much a wild card who could completely change everything in Star Wars or possibly change nothing. But we'll just have to wait and see, won't we?

A/N: Now, since the last chapter was mostly Gin-centered, this one will focus more closely on Aayla. It covers the storyline of the comic Jedi: Aayla Secura which I was ultimately unable to locate a copy of, so I don't have the full details of everything that actually went on. This chapter will also be quite important to the story in general, since it will further focus on Gin's past and how he ended up alone on Ord Mantell to begin with.

Disclaimer: I haven't done it in a few chapters, so I'll just say once again that I do not own Star Wars, Bleach, or any of the characters in either franchise.

REMEMBER TO REVIEW!

**Chapter 6: Secrets Revealed**

Orbiting Deveron in their cruiser, invisible to the any sensors thanks to it's cloaking device, Aayla gathered her supplies to prepare for when she set foot on the planet. It had been decided that Aayla, Tholme, and An'ya Kuro would head to the surface, while Kit and T'ra Saa would stay in orbit to guard their only means of escape. Seeing that everything was in order, she turned to leave only to find that her exit blocked by her Nautolan friend.

"Oh, Aayla." Kit began, "I was just coming in to check up on how you were. I trust everything is in order?"

"Yes, Kit. It's all taken care of." She responded. Even now, she still felt slightly nervous around him after what had happened on Kamino* just a month earlier.

_Flashback_

_Aayla fought against the oncoming battle droids in the rain, deflecting their shots as they marched toward her and Kit. Recently, she had met with Quinlan to find out what information he had discovered while undercover. His sources had indicated that the Separatists next target in the war would be Kamino. If they succeeded in destroying the cloning facilities here, then the Grand Army of the Republic would be finished. Aayla had then reported this to the Jedi Council, who promptly sent a large force to protect the planet._

_Despite having experienced massive casualties upon entering space, the Separatist forces had managed to land their troops on the planet's surface due to the sheer size of their armies and the help of a Kaminoan traitor. They were slowly being driven back however, as superior Republic battle strategies and troops began to surround them. Aayla and Kit along with their clone troopers clashed against a swarm of oncoming droids who were attempting to break through their lines in a last ditch attempt at victory._

"_We just have to hold them off a little longer before reinforcements arrive!" Aayla yelled, turning to her men. "Don't give any ground to them!"_

_What had happened next had all been a big blur. Aayla had heard Kit yelling her name as a rocket exploded in front of her, causing the Twilek to be momentarily stunned. She had sliced off the same droids arm in response, only for it to continue charging at her. They collided then, with it's metal body crashing against hers, sending them both flying off the platform they were on. _

_She had hit the water moments later, throwing the droid off of her, but leaving Aayla to the mercy of Kamino's raging depths. Her lungs began to burn as she struggled to her hold her breath while trying to figure out which way was towards the surface. Then to her surprise, she felt another force presence nearby her in the water._

'_Aayla,' a familiar voice called out to her mind. 'It's me Kit. Try to swim over to me.' Hearing his voice, Aayla did as he requested swimming over to him as the Jedi Master approached her. She felt his arms wrap around her waist and then his mouth met hers. 'Let me breath for you.' _

_Flashback End_

After Kit had helped her to swim out of the ocean and the battle had ended, he had asked whether or not she wanted to talk about what had happened. She had told him what had happened was just a moment, but afterwards she hadn't been so sure. What if the feelings they both felt then had been something else entirely?

"Actually Aayla, the truth is there's something I've wanted to talk to you about." Her friend told her in a serious tone. "I know after what happened on Kamino you said that there was no need to talk of it. But I can sense how you've been troubled around me lately and I have to ask, is it because of what happened between us there?"

Aayla looked at him a surprised look in her eyes. "What—Kit I—I don't know." Aayla answered shaking her head. "You and I have always been good friends, but on Kamino I'm not sure what I felt."

Kit nodded, as if understanding. "Then let's find out for sure what exactly it was." Then to the Twilek's shock, his lips met hers once more moments later. They stood there, frozen in time for a moment before Kit retracted his touch and stood back. "Now, what did you feel there Aayla?"

"I felt...nothing." She answered, as if stunned by her own answer. "Nothing at all."

"Then you now know what you felt on Kamino was lust, not love." Kit explained, "I did what I did to save your life and nothing more Aayla. I consider you one of my closest friends as well, but I would never pursue something contrary to the Jedi Code. I'm sorry if my actions here may have caused you distress, but I felt it was important that you come to this conclusion yourself."

"No, I understand why you did it." Aayla assured him in kind voice. "I'm glad you did it. All the doubt I felt before now is gone. Thank you, Master Fisto. I'm happy to know that I have a friend like you to watch over me."

Kit smiled in response. "Always know Aayla that if you ever need someone to talk to about matters such as these, I will be here to help you. Now you had better get going. The others are waiting for you."

"Right," Aayla agreed. "May the force be with you Kit."

"And with you."

As Aayla walked down to where the shuttle they would be using was however, another thought crossed her mind. The kiss on Kamino had not been the first she had ever experienced. That had happened back on Coruscant so many years ago with Gin. _'If I didn't feel anything with Kit on Kamino, then what did I feel with Gin back when we were on Coruscant?' _Deciding this was neither the time nor place to dwell on such things though, she chose to shove the thought into the back of her mind and focus solely on the task that lay before her.

XXXXXXXXXX

The three Jedi successfully landed on the planet's capital of Montellian Serat a few hours later. They had decided their cover would be Aayla disguised as a spoiled, rich Twilek girl named Tuulaa Doneeta, who was being accompanied by her two servants, aka Tholme and Kuro. Their reason for being there was simply that Tuulaa was on an intergalactic shopping spree and Devaron was the next stop on her list. It was the perfect cover as it was also one of the favorite pastimes of Senator Vien'Sai'Malloc, the partner of the system's now dead Senator Elsah. The team had decided she would be the first person they would investigate due to her close relationship with the victim in the past.

The trio soon arrived at the Devaron National Mall to begin their task. Aayla was dressed in a scantily clad white outfit which highlighted her bare stomach and left open a good deal of cleavage (You can look it up on Wookieepedia under Tuulaa Doneeta). It had been designed to demonstrate the Twilek species taste in fashion while also showing that she came from a upper-class background. It was also an effective tool at extracting information from the male populace, many of whom had trouble keeping their jaws shut as she passed through the mall.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were enjoying all this attention." Tholme whispered to his former apprentice.

"Now what would give you that idea Master?" Aayla answered him while waving to an awestruck onlooker nearby. The man fainted a few moments later. Kuro frowned in a disapproving manner.

"I believe we should focus on the task at hand." The silver-white haired Jedi master inputted. "Senator Sai'Malloc is said to often be found in the Fashion Centre around this time of day. We should head over there now."

"Yay!" Aayla said happily, clapping her hands together. "It's shopping time! I'm so excited!" Tholme and Kuro looked at her confused with confused looks, being caught slightly off guard by the out of character statement. "I do need to act the role too." Aayla whispered to the two masters, before skipping off to the Centre.

Tholme sighed to himself. "She is enjoying this."

XXXXXXXXXX

Soon they arrived at the location which was packed with various aliens of different races and species. Upon seeing the crowd, Tholme decided a new plan was needed. "We're going to need a quicker way to locate the Senator than this. Any suggestions?" He asked his companions.

"If we had access to the security cameras for the building, we could find her in no time." Kuro answered him, matter-of-factly.

"But how exactly are we going to gain access to them?" Tholme questioned.

"Watch and learn Master." Aayla told him. Spotting a nearby human security guard, the Twilek walked over to him and went to work. "Excuse me," she asked in a seductive voice. "I'm looking for a Devaronian friend of mine, could you help me please?"

"We-well this is Devaron ma'am." The guard answered in a nervous voice. "There are quite a few Devaronians around here as you can see."

Aayla touched the man's chest with her hand, slowly moving in closer and closer. "Well, if I just was able to view your security recordings for a few minutes, I'm sure I could find her."

"Tha-that would be illegal ma'am." The human stammered as he began sweating profusely. Aayla then pressed her assets up against the man's chest, her face mere inches from his.

"But it would mean so much to me. Pretty please, just this once? It won't take very long at all." She asked in a sweet, loving tone.

"All-all right, just this once." the man agreed. "Just follow me and I'll show you where to go." Aayla turned around and winked at Tholme and Kuro and motioned for them to follow her. The guard led them upstairs to a room in the back filled with monitors viewing the store.

The three Jedi quickly began scanning the screens, looking for their target.

"I've found her my lady." Tholme pointed out. "She's in the second section of the third floor."

"Good work. Let's head there now." Aayla ordered. Before the Jedi Knight turned to leave however, she turned around to face the guard who had helped them. "Thanks again." She waved, blowing a kiss at him. The man promptly collapsed on the spot.

As they left the room, Tholme stared at her with a disapproving look. "You do realize that you could simply have used the Jedi mind trick on him instead." He pointed out to her.

Aayla simply smiled in response. "I know that master, but this way was much more fun don't you think?" The Jedi Master just shook his head.

"Just try not to leave a trail of men behind for our enemies to follow us with please."

XXXXXXXXXX

A few hours later, everything seemed to be going as planned. Aayla with her disguise had managed to gain Vien's trust and had been invited over to her quarters for lunch. The plan now was that while Aayla would be busy trying to get information out of the Senator, Tholme and Kuro would be conducting their own investigations in the areas outside the city looking for the enemy base of operations. Before they began however, they decided it would be best to update their friends in space on what the current situation was.

"Kit, we're in place at Senator Sai'Malloc's house. How's you're position?" She asked a small hologram of the Nautolan.

"We're in stationary orbit behind a moon." He answered. "So far, we've not been detected, but there's lots of traffic. If we're discovered, we'll have to explain our presence—and that could cause diplomatic difficulties. I know you'll find the base as soon as possible."

He then gazed at Aayla with a curious look. "Are you all right Aayla?"

He questioned in a concerned tone.

"I'm well enough Kit." Aayla said with a smile. She supposed now would not be the best time to inform Kit on their adventures at the mall. "We'll contact you again later. Aayla Secura out."

As she turned off the hologram, Kuro frowned at her. "There seems to be a bond between you and Master Fisto." The Jedi Master stated in a disapproving tone.

"There is. He is one of the few non-Twileks I've met who knows how to read lekku." She replied. "We fought side by side on Geonosis and Kamino. Is this a problem for you Master?"

"Jedi should not be too fond of one another. That could lead to attachments, and attachments are not desirable." The Dark Woman answered in a dark tone.

"Returning to the mission—"Aayla began, not wanting to further this conversation any longer. "Perhaps we should take the Senator into our confidence. She is known as one of the few uncorrupted—and incorruptible—senators in the Republic. Master Tholme?"

The man shook his head. "No Aayla—If there's one thing I've learned in all my years it's that no one is beyond corruption. Especially politicians. We'll separate now as planned. May the force be with all of us."

Nodding in agreement, Aayla left the room and proceeded to take the elevator up to where Vien was located at. The quarters themselves were a luxurious suite with a beautiful view of the city below and the traffic in its skies. The Senator was sitting down on a couch nearby and a pleased look on her face. "Tuulaa, how wonderful to see you. I was beginning to think you wouldn't show up. It's not often that I encounter someone with such exquisite taste in fashion and shopping on Devaron."

"Sorry about that," Aayla replied cheerfully. "There was this new designer from Coruscant at the mall and I just _had_ to try on some of the outfits he had there before I left."

"Really? I hadn't heard. I'll have to be looking into that later." The politician said with a sly grin. As they began eating, Aayla decided now would be a good time to probe for information.

"So, what is it like being a Senator?" She asked in a curious tone, "From everything I've heard from daddy, it's sounds pretty boring."

The Devaronian sighed in agreement. "You have no idea. Most of the time it is quite boring, but it's worth it to try and bring a change to the galaxy."

"But can't it be, you know, dangerous?" She pressed further. "I mean, wasn't someone here killed not too long ago?" At this remark, the Senators face paled for a moment as if she'd suddenly come down with some sort of disease. _'So she does know something.' _Aayla realized, _'The question is, how much?'_

"Yes, that was a horrible tragedy that occurred with Senator Elsah." Vien stated as she regained her composure. "I must say that you are far more informed about galactic politics then I thought you would be."

"Oh, daddy makes sure I read the news and am informed about everything that goes on. He says if I'm going to run Ryloth Ventures in the future, I have to be prepared." Aayla told her.

"Wise words. I only wish Elsah had been more prepared to deal with that sniper rifle when it took her life."

"Umm, I don't recall that the authorities had released the information as to what kind of weapon took the Senator's life."

As she realized her mistake, Vien pushed a button on the arm of the couch she was sitting on. She pulled out a blaster which she then aimed at her guest, only to find it sliced in half by a lightsaber.

The Jedi Knight held her blade up to the Senator's neck. "I suggest you start talking right now. How did you know about Elsah's assassination?" She asked in threatening voice. To her surprise, her captive just chuckled.

"Because I was the one who ordered it of course. The person that's been funding the attacks on the Republic supply routes is me." She explained, "I must say that I never expected _you _to be one of the Jedi though. I congratulate you on your disguise, I never suspected a thing."

Aayla held her weapon even closer to the traitor's neck, it's cutting edge less than an inch from the Devaronian. "Why did you do it, and how did you know there were Jedi on the planet?"

"This war has simply been a drain on Devaron's resources ever since it began. The economy would have completely collapsed within a few more months. I had to do something." Vien affirmed in a justified voice. "By paying for the attacks on my own, we're still eligible to receive aid from the Republic and at the same time receive aid from the Confederacy as well. This way, Devaron will be able to survive the war with it's infrastructure intact."

The Twilek frowned. "You don't seem to have any real problems telling me any of this."

"I highly doubt you would kill me, it's not in a Jedi's nature and I have access to valuable information. But I'm not about to take risks with a lightsaber at my throat." She responded knowingly. "As for your second question, I knew because my assassin recognized one of your Jedi companions. She may even have been a Jedi herself once."

"What? Who is she?" A startled Aayla demanded.

"Her name is..."

XXXXXXXXXX

Tholme and Kuro were wandering through some old smuggler caves to the south of Montellian Serat. The caverns had been a prime hiding place for shadowy figures in the past, so it seemed like a logical place to look into. One by one, they searched through each hole they found only to come up empty handed. Both Jedi were presently getting frustrated with their lack of progress.

"Are you sure we should be spending so much of our time here?" Kuro asked in an annoyed voice. "So far we haven't seen anything of value or interest."

"Patience my friend. I'm positive there has to be something in here." Tholme answered her. While he was speaking, he did not notice the small red line his foot crossed on the ground. It was only moments later, that a small ringing alerted him to any problem. _'What is that noise?'_ he thought to himself. Realizing what it was an instant later, he pushed Kuro to the side as an explosion threw them both across the cave. Rubble from the low ceiling buried them in the process, making them unable to move.

"Tholme!" The Dark Woman coughed out through the smoke and dust. "Are you all right?"

"Well I've been better." The Jedi Master answered a few feet away from her. "I can't seem to move however. Can you?"

"Hold on one moment, I'll try and get us out of here."

"Oh, I wouldn't bother since neither of you will be leaving here alive." A smirk voice retorted. "It's not every day that I get to kill two Jedi Masters."

As the speaker walked into appearance, Kuro's eyes widened. _'No! It can't be her!' _The being in question was a tall, white, pale skinned humanoid with dark sunken eyes carrying a long blaster rifle. "Aurra Sing. I must admit I was not looking forward to seeing you again my old padawan." The Jedi Master told her.

"Oh, but I was very much looking forward to seeing you _Master_." The assassin sneered. "I heard you don't even go by your own name anymore. Any particular reason for that?"

"A Jedi should have no possessions. Not even an identity. I gave mine up to show humility before the Force."

"Instead you allowed them to call you 'The Dark Woman'." Tholme sighed to himself. "Such an improvement!"

"Well, it's been fun chatting with you, but I'm afraid it's time for it to come to an end." A crazed gleam seemed to enter into her eyes. "Finally, after all these years I will have my revenge against you!"

As she raised her blaster rifle to finish the job however, she found herself flung against the cave walls, causing the shot to go wild and miss.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that." A familiar voice answered. Aayla stepped into the clearing, her lightsaber lit in her hands. "It's over assassin. Give up now and you will not be harmed."

Aurra just laughed. "Right, there were three of you that came here. I suppose it's better this way. The hunt's no fun without a little sport." With that remark she pulled out the two pistols from her belt, firing shot rapidly at the Twilek. Aayla deflected them back to their source just as Aurra rolled away, ducking into another cave. The Jedi Knight followed after her, only to find the area was empty.

A moment later, she saw something whizz past her face narrowly missing it. She didn't have any time to relax however, as the projectile then exploded behind her, tossing Aayla to the ground. Sing was on her then, firing shots from a nook above causing the Twilek to perform some fancy maneuvering in order to avoid being hit. The bounty hunter then jumped forward, pulling out a vibroknife from her belt, intent on killing her prey. Aayla responded by putting her hands together, creating a powerful force push which sent the woman flying through the cavern ceiling outside.

Aayla jumped through the opening, only to find Aurra back on her feet ready for more. "You know," She chuckled, "You aren't bad Jedi. I normally don't like to use this thing, but if I don't the others might get enough time to free themselves and we can't let that happen now can we?" Pulling out an object from her belt, she pressed a button causing a glowing green blade to appear.

"So, you were a Jedi once?" Aayla asked taking a defensive stance. Their two weapons met in a flash of green and blue. Aayla quickly noted that Aurra seemed to follow no particular style of lightsaber combat. Instead, she seemed to rely on raw fury and anger to power her attacks.

"Once, a long time ago I was a padawan." Aurra answered as she attacked with an overhand sweep which Aayla then dodged. "Until the Jedi betrayed me to pirates that is."

"What?" Aayla responded as she blocked another strike. "A Jedi would never betray a comrade!" Their sabers locked at that moment, hissing at the contact. Sing used the opportunity to headbutt Aayla, knocking the Twilek back and momentarily stunning her.

"Really? You're one to talk." She scoffed, "I can tell just by looking at you that you've been betrayed already by someone close to you. Your stance, the way you walk, I can read you like an open book."

Regaining her momentum, Aayla charged forward bringing her lightsaber down onto Aurra's. "Don't talk as if you know anything about me!" She yelled.

"So, he _was_ close to you." She snickered in a cruel voice. "Do you wonder where he is now, why he did it in the first place?"

"Shut up." Aayla whispered in a low voice.

The bounty hunter continued taunting her quarry. "Did he ever even care about you to begin with, or was it all just an act to gain your trust so that he could use you as he saw fit?"

"SHUT UP!" The Twilek charged forward, her mind clouded by anger and rage. Aurra easily blocked her attack and sent her flying with a kick to the stomach. Aayla struggled to her feet, clutching her chest in pain as her opponent approached her. Turning off her weapon for a moment, Aurra took the small weapon and used it as a minature club, hitting the Jedi Knight repeatedly across the face, knocking her even farther away. _'Why am I losing to her?_ Aayla questioned in her mind, _I shouldn't be having this much trouble. What's wrong with me?' _

As if pausing in time for a moment, Aayla realized how angry and distraught she was. _'She's been using my feelings against me and to her advantage. That's how she's been gaining the upper hand here.' _The Twilek recalled then one of the first practice duels she had fought with Gin so many years ago...

_Flashback_

_The two younglings lightsabers clashed into each other, each refusing to give any ground. "Give up Gin!" Aayla yelled, "I am so winning this time!"_

"_No ya won't! Ya couldn't hit me even if you wanted to!" Her friend taunted in an annoying voice. _

"_Be quiet!"_

"_Ha ha! See ya denied it, so that means it has to be true!" _

_Rushing forward, Aayla jabbed her lightsaber angrily toward where Gin was. To her surprise however, he jumped completely over it and behind her. With a few quick jabs to her back, the duel was over._

_As the two walked over to put their weapons away, Aayla turned to her friend with an angry look on her face._

"_How are you able to win so easily? Master Dralliq says I'm getting better, but I still haven't been able to beat you!" She pouted._

_Gin just smiled. "Cuz you're so easy to tease. It doesn't matter how good ya are with a lightsaber, if you can't keep your emotions in check you'll never win."_

"_So...if I keep my emotions in check then I'll have a better chance of winning in the future?"_

"_Yep. It's also a really good way to demoralize your opponent in battle. If they can't focus, then they won't win either." Gin explained. "Oh, and you'll never be able to beat me Aayla."_

"_Yes I will! Someday I'm gonna win and you'll never live it down!"_

_Flashback End_

A smirk appeared on Aayla's face as she realized what it was she needed to do. Getting to her feet, she breathed in and out for a moment before taking her stance. Aurra seemed amused by this.

"You just don't know when to quit do you?" She mocked, "Looks like the Jedi haven't gained any more wisdom while I've been away."

"Well, you wouldn't know I suppose." Aayla said with a shrug of her shoulders. "I mean, you never did make it pass padawan right?"

A dark look crossed the bounty hunter's face. "I could've made it pass padawan anytime I wanted. I just didn't want to have to follow all those stupid rules they set."

"Mm-hmm," Aayla nodded, with a pitying look. "I guess that's probably why they gave up on you so easily. I mean, most of the time the Council would send a rescue party if a padawan went missing, but you were probably a lost cause by that point so they didn't even bother."

"Why you—" Aurra began as she reignited her lightsaber. She leaped forward to attack, only to find herself sidestepped this time by Aayla. The Jedi Knight swung her lightsaber in response, slashing her on the shoulder. Aurra cried out in pain at her injury.

"It's just everything about you is so un-Jedi." Aayla continued, "Your stance, the way you walk, it's like you were never even one to begin with."

"DIE!" The fallen padawan roared as she stampeded forward, stabbing her weapon toward her opponents heart. But to Aurra's shock, the Twilek blocked her strike and then stepped back, causing her to tumble forward. Then with one swift cut, Aayla severed the antenna implant on the woman's head. Screaming out in pain for a moment, Aurra clutched her injuries before falling to the ground unconscious.

Aayla breathed a sigh of relief. "Now to help the others."

XXXXXXXXXX

Within a few hours after the battle, Sing had been turned over to Republic authorities, the Senator was awaiting her sentence on Devaron, and the Separatist raiders were quickly being rounded up and captured. Tholme and Kuro were both still recovering from the wounds they had received from the explosion and both would need bacta treatment once they arrived on Coruscant. Presently, they were on route back to the Galactic Capital in their ship as Aayla discussed with the two masters how she had been able to locate them.

"After the Senator revealed she'd been involved in Elsah's assassination, I forced her to reveal who she had hired and where the Separatist base was." Aayla explained, "After that, I contacted Kit and gave him the coordinates so he could contact the Republic and then headed over to the caves."

"Well done." Tholme congratulated her. "You showed good leadership and reasoning here. Even when you were unsure of our status, you took the time to first contact Master Fisto and gave priority to the mission. Defeating Aurra Sing afterwards simply demonstrated how much your combat skills have improved in recent months."

"However," The Dark Woman interposed. "During your duel you let your mind wander perilously close to the Dark Side. You allowed Sing to feed off your fears and emotions and it nearly cost you your life. Though you were able to turn the tables on her, you must be aware of such things in the future."

Aayla nodded in agreement. "I understand Master. In the future I will do my best to keep my feelings in check."

"Very good." The Jedi Master said in approval. A curious look then came over her eyes. "Tell me, what was it she said that aroused such anger within you?"

"She said some things about a...friend of mine that is no longer with the Order." The Twilek told her with a saddened look in he eyes.

"Who is this person?" Kuro inquired.

"A Jedi named Gin Ichimaru." Aayla answered. A surprised look came over Kuro's face.

"I—have not heard this name before now." She said in a confused voice. "When and where was he before being brought to the Temple?"

"He was brought to the Temple about sixteen years ago after being found alone on the junkyards of Old Mantell." Tholme informed her. "He was around six years old at the time and had no family to speak of."

The Dark Woman's face paled at that moment. Sweat began pouring from her bow as if she had suddenly recalled something long forgotten. "No, it can't be!" She stammered, "He was supposed to have died! This can't be happening!"

"Master what's wrong?" Aayla asked in a concerned and perplexed voice. "Did you know Gin somehow in the past?"

The Jedi Master seemed to calm herself then, as if taking back control. "Yes, unfortunately I'm afraid that I did know him, long before he joined the Jedi Order."

A surprised look came over the Jedi Knight's face. "Really, how?"

"Because," Kuro paused as if bracing herself for a moment. "He is my son."

A silence entered the room. Tholme was the first to break it. "You're...son?" he repeated.

The Dark Woman turned away as if ashamed. "After my failure with Aurra, I wandered the galaxy searching again for a purpose. While searching, I entered into a...relationship with another. Eventually, I realized that it had to end and I put a stop to it." She elucidated to the two. "But my actions previous to it had unforeseen consequences. I became with child, and it had progressed to the point where I could no longer end it by alternative means. When he was born, I was unable to find it in myself to end his life personally and so I abandoned him on Ord Mantell, expecting that the harsh nature of the world would take him in it's own due time. How wrong it appears I have been."

"So...you just left him there?" Aayla admonished angrily, her voice rising. "How could you do that to your own child? What possible reason would justify abandoning Gin to die on a world like some unwanted animal!"

"I do not deny that my action was cruel and unjust, but I did it for more than just to cover up my own shame." Kuro told her in a harsh tone. The Jedi Master's voice then became dark and low. "The boy needed to die because of the potential threat he could become if he ever grew up. These wars that are happening right now are meaningless compared to the danger posed by him alone."

"How is that possible?" Tholme inquired, pressing further. "An'ya please, what does all of this mean?" The Dark Woman then stood up and began walking out of the room.

"I will speak no more of this. For now I must rest and meditate. Both of you should prepare yourselves. The worst of what you have seen is yet to come."

XXXXXXXXXX

Gin flew his fighter into the Separatist command ship, battle droids scurrying in all directions. It hadn't been easy evading Republic forces surrounding Haruun Kal, but with some time and careful maneuvering he had managed to successfully do so. Jumping out of his starcraft, he turned and left the hanger to find Dooku waiting for him.

"I trust that everything was successful on Haruun Kal?" The Sith Lord inquired of him.

"You got it." Gin replied cheerfully. "Master Billaba won't be bothering us anytime soon."

"You are sure of this?"

"Well, it will be somewhat difficult for her to do anything without a head now won't it?"

"Point taken." The Count then motioned for Gin to follow him. "I believe it is time that you were officially introduced to the true leader behind our cause." The two stepped inside of a dark room where a spider-like droid sat on the ground. Pressing a button on the droid, a hologram of an old man in a dark robe then appeared on it. "Gin Ichimaru, you now look upon the true dark lord of the Sith, Darth Sidious." The ex-Jedi looked on with a glint of interest in his eyes.

"It is a pleasure to finally meet you in person my young friend." The man said in a pleased voice. "I have observed your progress from afar for sometime and have been extremely impressed by your work."

Gin scratched the back of his head. "Well I'm just flattered. I never realized I had an admirer. You're not exactly my type though. Sorry!"

The Dark Lord chuckled to himself. "You keep your wits about you. Good, you will need them. I have a task for you. On Jabiim, the Republic is sending reinforcements to bolster their presence there. You are to travel to the planet and assist our allies in winning the battle against them. Do not fail in this."

"Aww," Gin whined with a dissapointed look. "But I just got done with another mission! Don't I get a break or something now?"

The hologram of Sidious frowned. "We are at war. There is no time for breaks or vacations. You would do well to remember this."

The silver-haired man merely laughed in response. "I'm just kidding. No need to worry, the Republic won't have any idea what hit them." As he turned to leave, the Count held him back for one moment.

"There is only one more thing my young friend." Pulling out a small object from his pocket, he handed it to the man. "As a reward for your service so far, you are now ready to add this to your lightsaber." In Gin's hands lay a small red crystal for the color of the blade.

Gin smiled as he pocketed the object. "Looks like I'm official now, eh? Well, I'm off then!" With that the former Jedi left the room, leaving the two Sith by themselves.

"He is quite unusual, isn't he Master?"

"Perhaps Lord Tyranus, but only time will tell whether or not he is indeed 'the one'."

"You still think it could be Skywalker?"

"The force is ever changing the future my friend. It could go either way in the end. One way or another we will soon control the galaxy."

XXXXXXXXXX

A/N: Now, some of you might be wondering why I chose to give Gin parents. The reasoning for my decision is this. This fic is set in the Star Wars universe, not Bleach. I realized a while ago that while in Bleach it's perfectly possible for some super-powered orphan to appear in the Soul Society after dying, it is not so in Star Wars. Everyone there has a background or origin of some sort and people can not simply pop out of nowhere like they do in Bleach.

With this discovery, I realized I would have to give Gin some sort of background as to how he ended up on Ord Mantell alone. Now, saying he was just some orphan who was abandoned by his parents would be a plain insult to Gin's character. His parents would have to be people epic in their own right and while looking for suitable candidates, I came across An'ya Kuro aka The Dark Woman. She fit into my plot perfectly and was already set in Aayla's story to begin with making it even better. So, that's just my reasoning as to why I did it. Like it or dislike it, I stand by my decision and feel it will simply make the story better in chapters to come.

**Next Chapter: Battle of Jabiim**

*Note: This is the First Battle of Kamino set in the comics. NOT the second one presented in the TV show.


	8. Chapter 7: Battle of Jabiim

**Grinnin' Jedi**

A/N: So, I've decided that there will be one more chapter focusing mainly on the comics after this one, followed by a chapter on Gin's parents after that. Then, I will begin to start following the TV series although I may occasionally insert different stories from the comics if I find them interesting enough.

A/N: This is also going to be my last chapter of Grinnin' Jedi for a while. I'll be coming up with another chapter of 'Demon of the Hidden Leaf' next week after which I'll be taking December and part of January off for the Holidays. I've been writing non-stop for the past two months pretty much, so I really need a break right now to sit back and think up new ideas.

REMEMBER TO REVIEW!

**Chapter 7: Battle of Jabiim**

"I see. Thank you." Obi-Wan told his communicator before turning it off.

The rain and wind howled as the Jedi Master assessed his troops' conditions. The Republic had sent it's soldiers to Jabiim ill-prepared for the harsh environment there and was paying the price for it's negligence. The task force's heavy walkers often became mired in the muddy, rain-soaked plains, leaving them vulnerable to enemy forces. The constant storms and heavy raining severely impeded their much-needed orbital and air support as well and frequently scrambled their radios and communications. Thus, even though their task force heavily outnumbered the Jabiimi Rebels, their enemy had managed to score many victories over them in the past few weeks.

"Master," A voice asked, snapping him out from his thoughts. "Is everything all right?"

Obi-Wan shook his head. "It's nothing Anakin. Have you assembled everyone as I requested?"

"Yes, they're waiting for you now."

"Well, let's not keep them waiting then." Walking down the corridors of Shelter Base, the master and apprentice walked side by side until they entered the command room. Gathered around a table showing the battlefield were several Jedi Masters, Knights, and Padawans as well as Jabiim Loyalist Captain Orliss Gillmunn and ARC-trooper 17, Alpha.

"Thank you all for coming. I think it's clear to everyone now that we must reform our current strategy in order to win. Do I have any suggestions?" The Jedi General asked politely.

"We need to take out Stratus." Gillmunn pointed out. "That should be our priority above anything else. If we can capture him, the rebel forces will crumple."

Obi-Wan nodded. "I concur captain. I doubt it will be that easy however."

"Why not?" Jedi Master Sirrus questioned. "I do not see this as being necessarily difficult Master Kenobi. True, the Nationalists have fought better than we anticipated, but I'm sure a coordinated strike by our forces would be all that we need to achieve our objective."

"You underestimate his guards and their resolve." Gillmunn argued. "His Nimbus Commandoes are the best of the best. The elite. The fact that he's pledged all of Jabiim's mining rights to the Confederacy makes him an even deadlier foe as Dooku sends him more and more support each day."

"We also take more ground each day, yet Stratus stays hidden and so do the Separatists commanders." Kenobi added. "To make matters worse, I've just received word from Republic intelligence that Confederate reinforcements will be arriving within the day."

"Then we should attack now while we still have the advantage." Alpha interjected. "No prisoners or surrender, just wipe out the rebels clean once and for all."

"You will follow my commands as they are given Commander." Obi-Wan said sternly. "If enemy troops wish to surrender, you will honor their request and abide by the Republic laws of war."

"There are no laws in war." Alpha shot back. "Our forces barely have enough supplies for themselves. If we start taking any more prisoners, we'll be pushed over our capacity to provide for everyone."

"If anything, we must decide now what our next move will be." Master Norcuna pointed out. "We cannot afford to hesitate at this critical moment."

"I agree." Obi-Wan corresponded. "Now our strategy will go as follows...

XXXXXXXXXX

Walking down the ramp of his ship, Gin found himself buffeted by the planet's strong winds, causing rain to hit him in the face. Standing there to greet him were the Jabiim Nationalist leader Alto Stratus and the Dark Jedi Asajj Ventress. "Master Ichimaru," Stratus began with a bow. "It is an honor to have a warrior of your status here to assist us in our fight for freedom."

"Well thank you for being so polite Commander Stratus. The pleasure is all mine." Gin replied with his trademark grin. He then looked over to his dark comrade in arms. "What, no greeting from you?"

Asajj grimaced. "Just because you have been appointed above me, do not expect me to follow your orders wholeheartedly. I serve Count Dooku and no one else."

"Oh, don't worry." Gin responded with a playful wave. "I wouldn't dream of ordering anyone around. My job here is simply to help our friends on Jabiim be successful in their cause and nothing more. I much prefer to be an observer in these matters anyway. Now, what exactly is the situation Commander?"

"If you would follow me, I will take you to our base to view our progress." The two force users followed the human into his command center where the other Nationalist leaders were observing the battle now occurring. A large red field showed Republic territory, while a small blue one showed the Separatists.

"As you can see, the Jedi have managed to gain large amounts of ground since arriving here." Stratus pointed out indicating the path of their advance.

Gin put a hand to his chin, an interested look crossing his face.

"But you've been letting them do this on purpose, haven't ya?"

A smile crept across Stratus's face. "Correct, soon they will have overextended their lines to the point where they will no longer be able to successfully defend them. It is at that moment when we will strike."

"But there's more to it than that isn't there?" Gin questioned in a curious voice

Stratus nodded. "Correct again. There is one obstacle that my men will not be able to remove alone. We must take out their chain of command when we attack. More specifically we must kill General Kenobi."

"And that's where we come in." Ventress answered with a sly grin.

XXXXXXXXXX

A few days later, the situation for the Republic seemed to be looking up. The task force had overran a dozen enemy defensive positions and Nationalist forces were in full retreat. Obi-Wan was currently at Shelter Base recuperating after the previously intense battles. As he was walking down the halls, he turned into the medical quarter to see how the injured were doing. Several clones lay on stretchers covered in bandages and sporting all sorts of injuries. Among the medical staff there, Obi-Wan noted a young blond Jedi in his early teens tending to an injured soldier.

"I didn't realize we had any healers so young with us." Obi-Wan stated to him. The Padawan looked up in surprise, not realizing the Jedi Master had been present. He got up and gave a wobbly salute.

"Oh, General! Umm, er—I mean—Izuru Kira reporting sir!" He managed to stammer out.

Obi-Wan laughed in response. "Calm down son, there's no need to be saluting. We're both off duty right now. Where did you learn to perform healing Izuru? It's not something every Jedi can do."

"Oh, my Master taught it to me. He said it was a useful technique to learn for different situations even if you don't specialize in it." An embarrassed smile came across his face. "I'm really not that good, it's just we've been short on staff and when they found out I could heal they asked if I could help fill in."

"Well, your Master must have been a wise teacher to have prepared you for such circumstances. I'm sure he's proud." Obi-Wan congratulated. "Where is he now? I would certainly enjoy speaking with him."

A sad frown crossed Izuru's face as Obi-Wan spoke. "I'm afraid my Master has...gone away for some time."

"Gone? Where exactly is he?" The Jedi Master asked in a confused tone. "Is he on some sort of mission?"

"He defected to the Separatists. I've been with the Padawan Pack ever since he left." Izura answered bluntly.

"Oh, Izuru I'm—I'm so sorry." Seeing the grief in the boys eyes, Obi-Wan walked over and knelt down on one knee bringing him to his level. "But, I'm sure that for whatever reason your Master left, it was in no way related to you. The bond between student and master is a strong one and is not easily broken."

"And how are you sure of that?" Izuru questioned harshly. "You don't even know who he is or what he did, so how can you possibly say that with such confidence?"

Obi-Wan smiled at him. "Because a long time ago, there was a moment when I thought my Master went against what the order wanted because of my weaknesses. But I was wrong and it turns out he did what he did only because he had confidence that I was ready for the challenges that lay ahead. Now why don't you and I—"

Alarms suddenly began blazing everywhere. "Red alert! Red alert!" The intercom yelled. "The Nationalists are attacking the base. Repeat: The Nationalists are attacking the base! All hands report to battle stations!"

The Jedi Master cursed under his breath at their ill-fortune. Most of the troops were out in the field, leaving the base undermanned and vulnerable. He turned to Izuru, motioning with his head. "Come on! We have to get moving!"

XXXXXXXXXX

Outside, chaos reigned as battle droids and Nationalist troops destroyed the unsuspecting Republic forces, mowing their ranks down to nothing with non-stop blaster fire. While Stratus helped focus on the soldiers and tanks, Gin and Ventress attacked the Jedi present there showing no mercy to any they found.

"Well, that's seven for me now!" Gin announced happily as he pulled his blade out of another victim. "How many do you have?" He asked turning to Ventress.

"This is not a game!" Ventress snarled at him. "If you aren't going to take this seriously why even bother being here?"

"Geez, you're no fun at all." Gin said with a small frown. "What I wouldn't give for some more pleasant company." As he said these words, a new figure jumped into the battlefield. Using a blue lightsaber, he cut through the droid armies like they were nothing while rallying a nearby group of clones in the process. Charging forward, they began driving the droids in front of them slowly back.

"Now that's what I'm talking about." The silver haired man said to himself as he began moving towards the figure. "I've been eager to see how much Skywalker has improved for some time now."

"No!" Ventress yelled angrily at him. "Skywalker is mine!" Rushing forward, she drew her two lightsabers and launched herself at Anakin letting her rage and anger take control.

"Aww, but I wanted to fight him!" Gin protested. However, he now sensed two new force-users entering from within the base as even more reinforcements poured out from it, one of which he recognized instantly. With a large force leap, he jumped over to where they were coming, landing directly in front of them.

"Master Kenobi, how nice to see you again. I don't believe I've seen you since Geonosis." He then looked over at the young boy standing next to him. "And Izuru! I didn't know you were on Jabiim! How have you been lately?"

Izuru paled as he came face to face with his former teacher. "Master Ichimaru! What-what are you doing here?"

"Wait, _he _was your Master?" Obi-Wan exclaimed in disbelief over the gunfire. The shock from his face faded a second later though as he quickly took control of the situation. "Izuru go and assist Commander Skywalker in holding off the droids."

"But Master—"

"Go!" Obi-Wan yelled again in a commanding voice. After gazing over to where his Master was once more, the boy turned and hurried off to carry out the orders. The two men now stood by themselves, with the battlefield as their background.

"You should never have come here Gin." Obi-Wan stated as he activated his lightsaber and took a defensive stance.

"Oh, and why is that Master Kenobi?" Gin questioned playfully as he lit his own weapon and held it casually at his side.

"Because this is where you will finally answer for everything that you've done and be brought to justice." Obi-Wan answered in a calm but threatening voice. "Every person that you've hurt, every friend you've deceived, it will all stop here at this place!"

"Well, aren't you a poet!" Gin clapped in response to the speech. "But you do realize that if you fail here instead, the Republic is doomed on Jabiim right?"

"Then I'll just have to be sure not to lose then." Obi-Wan replied cockily as he began circling his opponent.

Gin laughed. "That's what I've always liked about you Master Kenobi! Even when the odds are stacked against ya, you just respond with a quirky comeback like nothings wrong at all. Looks like I'm gonna get the fun fight after all."

The two combatants then launched themselves both forward and armed with their lightsabers, clashed in a flash of red and blue.

XXXXXXXXXX

Anakin found himself on the defensive as he struggled to keep Ventress at bay. He had hoped he'd seen the last of his dark opponent after their duel on Yavin 4, but it looked like that was hoping for too much. He could sense the clones dying all around him as they were overwhelmed by superior Separatist fire power. Already he could see that the situation was becoming hopeless. If they didn't retreat now, they might lose everything they had gained here.

Force pushing a lunging Ventress away, Anakin turned to the survivors standing with him. "Everyone!" He yelled out through gritted teeth. "Fall back, the base is lost! Fall back!" Just then, he saw an AT-AT tank crumple as it was brought down by the Nimbus commandos.

"Anakin!" He heard Obi-Wan call out his name. He could see his Master was still locked in mortal combat with Ichimaru, who was now momentarily being kept at bay by Alpha who had now joined the fight. "Go and secure that side!" Obi-Wan pointed to where their troops were retreating. "The other masters should be there fighting! Go back them up! I'll be with you in a moment after I save the crew!" Jumping forward, the Jedi Master sprang through a window panel and rushed inside. Anakin saw him exiting a minute later with two injured clone troopers at his side. Looking away, he then saw Alpha lying unmoving on the ground as Gin smiled at where Obi-Wan was standing.

A minute later, the walker exploded and Anaking felt Obi-Wan's presence disappear from the force. "No! NO! MASTER!" Anakin screamed out as he started hurrying over to the destroyed site. He was stopped however, by a hand on his shoulder.

"Anakin." Master Norcuna said in a saddened voice. "He is gone. Let him go. Obi-Wan would not have wanted you to heedlessly waste your life. Live to fight another day and avenge his sacrifice."

Biting down his pride, Anakin turned to leave but not before looking back once more to where Ichimaru was standing in the distance. He stood there with that stupid grin on his planted on his face almost as if it were taunting him to come and tear it off. Somehow, Anakin knew he was responsible for what had happened just now. _'This isn't the end Ichimaru. I will not forgive you for what has happened here and someday I will make sure that you pay for everything you've done.'_

XXXXXXXXXX

With Obi-Wan's death, the Republic was quickly driven back as Stratus had predicted. The ground they had gained only weeks earlier seemed to evaporate overnight as the enemy closed in around them. By day 30 after the first landing, 18 Jedi and over 9,000 clone troopers had been killed in action. Masters Norcuna and Sirrius, who had taken over command in Obi-Wan's absence, had been killed along with their division while trying to retake their lost territory. Within a week of their deaths, the remaining Masters and Knights had all been killed as well and it was left to Anakin as the most senior Jedi there now to assume control over the remaining forces.

The Separatists on the other hand had suffered only minor setbacks. Stratus had been injured during the fighting, though he was quickly recovering, and now his armies were once again being reinforced by new battle droids. It was the perfect time for them to strike.

"The Republic forces are leaderless and in disarray!" The Nationalist leader shouted to his men who cheered in response. His voice echoed in the wind and rain as it fell from above. "Now it is time that we take back our planet and prove to the Republic once and for all that we are not pawns to be bargained with. Prepare yourselves everyone, for this is to be your finest hour!"

Gin smiled at the speech as Stratus stepped down from the stand he was on and marched over to where he was at. "All the preparations have been made?" He asked in a commanding voice.

"Yep, all the officers are with their divisions and thanks to you're little speech they're more than ready to fight." Gin answered him.

"Excellent, all that remains now is to finally crush the token force that remains." Walking over to his command tank, he got in before turning to face Gin once more. "We cannot allow them to escape and risk them coming back with anymore reinforcements. Allow no survivors Master Ichimaru. We must finish them off here and now!"

"Of course Commander." Gin replied with a mock salute. "Whatever you say."

XXXXXXXXXX

Izuru huddled around the small fire that the clones had built from wood they had gathered for their makeshift camp. He was cold and hungry and wanted nothing more than to go home. After Master Kenobi's death, nothing had gone right for them. Death and destruction were a daily occurrence and the padawan had breathed out a sigh of relief when he heard they would be evacuating. How he had even survived this long was beyond him.

"Izuru!" A voice called out to him. "Get over here!"

"Sorry Aubrie!" Izuru called back as he got up from where he was sitting. He walked over to find the remaining padawans being addressed by Anakin. Izuru honestly wasn't sure what to make of the older padawan at times. His personality could range from cocky and reckless to kind and sincere at times. Maybe it was just the stress of war that caused it.

"My friends," he began slowly. "We are all that remains of the Jedi on Jabiim. Everyone else has perished. We have been ordered to evacuate by the order of the Supreme Chancellor himself, but it may not matter at this moment." His face darkened then. "The transports won't be here for at least five more days and I've just received word that Stratus is mobilizing his entire army against us. He means to crush us and leave no survivors."

Everyone immediately began murmuring in response to this, only for Anakin to raise his hand in response. "We are all that stands in his way between this army's survival and it's destruction. It falls to us to defend our troops and give them the chance to fight another day." He told them in a solemn voice. "Therefore when the Separatists come, we must be in the front lines waiting for them."

A long silence filled the area. "But...then we'll probably be killed." One padawan said speaking up.

"I know." Anakin nodded. "But if we can hold out for five days, we might just be able to get out of this alive. If we can, our job should be to try and take out Stratus. Be prepared for everything. Dismissed."

Izuru walked away with Aubrie as the two headed back toward the campsite. As the two remaining healers, the padawans had formed a special bond in their short time together as they were called upon more and more often.

"Well, it looks like it's really over for us." Izuru chuckled weakly.

"What? Izuru don't say things like that!" Aubrie scolded. "Can't you try and be a little optimistic?"

"There's not exactly that much to be optimistic about." Izuru countered back. "Personally, I doubt I'll be making it home."

"Please don't talk like that!" Aubrie exclaimed. "You may be the youngest and haven't been a padawan as long as everyone else, but that doesn't take away from how talented you are! You fought on Geonosis and lived to talk about it! That's not something many padawans can claim!"

The boy sighed in response. "I'm sorry. It's just I don't feel like I'm making any difference here at all sometimes." He then gazed at Aubrie intently. "Do you ever wonder if you weren't cut out to be a Jedi? If it would have been better if you had just lived a normal life?"

Aubrie paused for a moment, thinking on the question. "I do have doubts sometimes, but I think every Jedi has that thought at some point in their life. Maybe that's one of the things you have to overcome in becoming a knight."

Izuru nodded. "Maybe so. Let's just pray we live to see it."

XXXXXXXXXX

For the next three days, Cobalt Station somehow held its own against the unending waves of droids. Both sides suffered massive casualties, but for every droid that was destroyed another took it's place. On the fourth day, the clones had pulled back even further and formed a final circle around the base. By the fifth they had managed to destroy the remaining Nimbus Commandos, putting a severe dent in Nationalist morale. But the victory came at a heavy cost. Out of the ten remaining padawans only Anakin, Aubrie, and Izuru had survived.

The three padawans fought together now, their lightsabers bright blurs in the midst of all the carnage. Stratus was within sight of them now, fighting alone with his bodyguard now destroyed. "Come get me Jedi!" He screamed at them, his voice filled with hatred. "You may have destroyed my home and sabotaged my armies, but I promise I will pay you back tenfold by annihilating your accursed Order!"

Breaking free of the fighting, Aubrie rushed forward charging out alone toward Stratus. "Aubrie wait for us to help you!" Anakin yelled after her as his lightsaber cleaved a droid in half.

"No!" The girl yelled out. "I'm ending this now!" She leaped towards Stratus as the Separatist commander fired his blaster, it's shots striking her in the chest. But the young Jedi's assault could not be stopped as her lightsaber plunged into his chest and he slumped over dead.

"Aubrie!" Izuru yelled running forward after seeing his friend go down. As he approached her however, he suddenly found himself hit by an invisible force which sent him flying away from the battlefield. He hit the ground with a crack as he felt the bones in his right leg break after days of exhaustion. Clutching his leg in pain he looked up in horror at his attacker.

"Well Izuru, I gotta say that I'm proud to see you've made it this far. But it all ends here." His former Master told him.

As he moved to attack, Izuru felt his mind drift away from the battle at that moment and back to a time that seemed like ages ago now.

_Flashback_

_7__ years ago_

_Izuru walked along with his fellow younglings taking in the beauty of the planet they were on. Corellia had been selected as the sight of this years Youngling Expedition and so far Izuru had been enjoying it immensely. At the top of his class, he'd made it a priority to learn everything about all the worlds they traveled to as a class. Corellia was a planet with many diverse people and species making it a key world in the Republic. It was also the home of Centerpoint Station, one of the most powerful devices in the entire galaxy._

"_Over here young ones." Yoda beckoned to the class. "Keep Senator Bel Iblis waiting we must not." As Izuru moved to follow, he spotted a young Togruta girl he recognized from a class slightly below his own age moving away from the group. She was heading down an alley off of a nearby street moving quietly so no one would notice her._

_"Hey, what are you doing?" He asked, catching up with her. They were now far away from the others location, deep within the "Master Yoda said we need to go that way."_

"_Shh!" The girl responded, as she hid behind some crates. "Those guys over there are up to something."_

_Looking over, Izuru spotted several humans looking around suspiciously as they unloaded several cages filled with several different types of exotic animals. He noted that many of them were animals often used in fighting arenas, such as a fully grown Nexu which was clawing through it's cage at it's captors._

"_I think this must be some sort of animal smuggling ring." Izuru speculated from his observations._

"_Animal smuggling ring?" The Togruta repeated. "Why would they be smuggling animals."_

"_Corellians tend to like action. A lot of them would probably pay big money to see some of these creatures go up against each other." Izuru told her. "Plus, Corellia is notorious for it's smugglers."_

"_Well, then I guess it's up to us to stop them!" The girl said in a cocky voice as she jumped over their hiding place._

"_He-hey come back! What are you doing?" Izuru protested grabbing her arm. "We should go and get Master Yoda or an officer or something!"_

"_Let go of me! They're going to—"_

"_Well, well. What do we have here?" A human with a long moustache said evilly. "Looks like we've got some spies boys!"_

"_What? No, no we're not spies!" Izuru laughed weakly, trying to think of a plan to get out of their situation._

"_That's right. We're Jedi!" The other youngling stated proudly, much to her companions display._

"_Really?" The man, who was the leader of the group, replied in an interested voice. "You're both a bit young to be Jedi aren't you?"_

"_We're just younglings, but we'll still be able to stop you and your smuggling ring regardless!" The Togruta yelled back as Izuru facepalmed, questioning how he had gotten into this situation to begin with._

"_So you know what we're up to eh? You're observant, I'll give you that, but I'm afraid I can't allow you to stop us my dear. See, we're being paid a good deal of credits to smuggle in these beauties you see before us and if you exposed us, well let's just say that would be...unprofitable." The man then turned to his thugs. "Boys, take care of them and do it quietly. We don't want to make a scene."_

_One of the men charged at the Togruta, who promptly jumped over his head and rebounded off of his back, punching a second attacker behind him in the face. Another two ran toward Izuru pulling out blasters. Force pulling the crates they'd been hiding behind previously, he threw them forward, sending the men flying. Then yanking away the blasters from their hands, he tossed one to the Togruta and kept the other for himself. Soon all of the men were lying down unconscious, the victims of several painful stun bolts._

_The leader gritted his teeth in anger. "You idiots! They're just two snot nosed brats! I have to do everything myself it seems." Pulling out a card from his belt, he waved it over the lock of the Nexu's cage. The beast sprang out and made to attack the man. Before it could do so however, he pressed a button on a control pad he had pulled out. The Nexu screamed in pain as electricity coursed through the collar it had on it's next._

"_That's right. Now you remember who's in charge here." The leader taunted. "Now sick em!" With another zap the Nexu turned towards the two younglings growling. Taking his blaster, Izuru fired a shot at the monster, but all it seemed to do was make it even more angry than before._

"_Maybe we should've gone and gotten Master Yoda after all." The Togruta said weakly. _

"_You think?" Izuru responded sarcastically. "Run!" The two future Jedi ran as fast as their legs could carry them, though they could here their furry pursuer rapidly closing in behind them._

"_This way!" The girl yelled grabbing his arm as they turned into another alleyway. "I'm sure this was the way we—" The two paused as they reached a dead end. "—came."_

"_Nice going."_

"_Oh, shut up!" _

_The duo turned around to see that they were now officially cornered with no way out. The Nexu leaped in the way of their only exit, cutting off any route of escape. 'So this is the end.' Izuru thought to himself. 'I hope it doesn't hurt too much.' Closing his eyes, Izuru braced himself for the inevitable. When nothing happened a moment later, the youngling peaked open one eye to see what had happened._

_To his surprise, the Nexu lay dead in front of a man standing between it and it's pray. What was even more surprising though, was the weapon resting in his hand. It was a short silver lightsaber being held by a smiling silver haired man who looked completely at ease._

"_You kids okay?" He asked turning to them with a cheery voice._

"_Umm, yes we're fine sir. Thank you for rescuing us." Izuru said gratefully._

_The man just laughed. "Oh, there's no need to thank me. I was actually looking for those smugglers when ya both decided to show up. I was curious to see what you would do, so I just stood back and watched the events play out. Nice job with the blasters by the way. You did most of my work for me." __He congratulated Izuru._

"_So wait, what about the leader?" The Togruta asked. "Did he get away?"_

"_Oh no. The moment he set that Nexu loosed, I took care of him when he had his back turned." The man answered with a playful wave. "Now it's time for me to go and turn them all in. Iif you go left out of this alley and right across the next two ones, you should connect back up with Master Yoda and the rest of the younglings. They won't even know you were gone. Don't worry, I won't tell anyone about what happened." With those remarks, the man began to leave._

"_Wait a minute!" Izuru called out after him. "Sir, what's your name?"_

_The man turned his head. "Gin. Gin Ichimaru."_

_XXXXXXXXXX_

_4__ years later_

"_Really, you mean—you'd really take me as you're padawan Master Ichimaru?" Izuru asked eagerly. _

"_Sure, it's boring doing missions for the council alone. I could use the company. Plus, I can teach you all sorts of things I've learned on my travels. Stick with me Izuru and you'll be a knight before you know it!"_

"_Don't worry Master, I won't let you down! I'll be the best student you've ever seen!"_

_Flashback End_

The padawan gasped for breath as the wind was knocked out of him with a punch to his chest. Then, he watched as Gin's lightsaber hilt came flying towards his head, the impact sending him tumbling into the muddy ground beneath him. Izuru found himself unable to move after that, his body having finally given out from the injuries and sheer exhaustion of fighting for the past three days. The young man felt darkness begin to cover his eyes just as he struggled to lift his head to see Gin walking away from him.

"Master...why?" he managed to get out just before he faded away into blackness completely.

XXXXXXXXXX

The next morning, a Republic gunship flew over what remained was left of both armies

"Sir, the longer we stay here, the higher our chances are of not making it back to the ship in one piece!" A clone trooper told Anakin in a frustrated voice. "We've been searching for hours now. It's highly unlikely anything survived the night."

"This is the last area and we're not leaving until we've rescued any survivors left down there!" Anakin yelled back. "Pilot, what do you have for life signs?"

"Negative sir. I don't see anything alive out—wait! I've got a small reading on a lifeform down there. It might be one of ours!"

"Take us down there!"

The pilot veered the gunship so that it landed a few meters away from where the reading had been made. Anakin hopped out sensing the faint life echoing through the force. He rushed over to the body and turned it over. "It's Kira! Let's get him out of here!" Tossing the boy over his shoulder he jumped back onto the gunship. "He need medical attention fast. Get us off this rock!"

"Yes sir. Right away." Taking off, Anakin gazed down once more at the site of their defeat. _'I'm sorry Master. I promise you that I will be stronger next time.'_

XXXXXXXXXX

"Well, looks like that's it for us." Gin told the Nationalist officer in charge now that Stratus was dead. "We leave the rest to you."

"Thank you Masters Ichimaru and Ventress!" The man saluted back. "The people of Jabiim will never forget what you have done for us here! Rest assured, we will make sure those Republic traitors that remain are hunted down and taken care of. If ever you need aid, we will stand ready to help."

As the officer walked away, Gin and Asajj headed over to where their ship was docked at. "Well, I'd say our mission here went pretty well don't ya think?" He asked the Dark Jedi.

Ventress smiled. "For once I actually agree with you. If anything, our new prisoners are sure to impress Count Dooku." Entering the ship, the two walked over to a door which they proceeded to open. Two figures were chained to the wall, immobilized with energy cuffs. "Isn't that right Master Kenobi?"

XXXXXXXXXX

**Next Chapter: ****Deceptions**


End file.
